Indianapolis, IN vs Reno, NV
Moving from Indianapolis to Reno? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $570,546 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Reno at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Indianapolis, IN, you'd need about $103,566 in Reno, NV (+$3,566).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Reno, NV: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 1,665 sqft in Reno ($156 vs $300 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Reno, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $23,736 | +$5,100 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,841 | +$101 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $4,740 | +$1,490 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,548 | −$384 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,300 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $5,060 | −$2,307 |
| Total | $37,525 | $41,225 | +$3,700 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Reno, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 98.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 5.01% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 9.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 50 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.58 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $570,546 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 0.0% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $300 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,978 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 0.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |
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