Indianapolis, IN vs Richmond, VA
Moving from Indianapolis to Richmond? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $397,705 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Richmond 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 $103,895 in Richmond, VA (+$3,895).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Richmond, VA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 2,514 sqft in Richmond ($156 vs $199 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Richmond, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $21,156 | +$2,520 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,853 | +$114 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,080 | −$170 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,872 | −$60 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,500 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $10,041 | +$2,674 |
| Total | $37,525 | $42,502 | +$4,977 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Richmond, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 4.78% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.60 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $397,705 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 2.3% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $199 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,763 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 0.76% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $102 | $103 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 28 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.6 | 45.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.5 | 8.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 57% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |