Indianapolis, IN vs Roanoke, VA
Moving from Indianapolis to Roanoke? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $301,139 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Roanoke 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 $96,360 in Roanoke, VA (−$3,640).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Roanoke, VA: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 3,320 sqft in Roanoke ($156 vs $151 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Roanoke, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $16,836 | −$1,800 |
| 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 | $9,549 | +$2,182 |
| Total | $37,525 | $37,690 | +$165 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Roanoke, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 91.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 4.05% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 0.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 40 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.19 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $301,139 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 3.8% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $151 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,403 |
| 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% | 0.81% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| 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 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |