Indianapolis, IN vs Salem, OR
Moving from Indianapolis to Salem? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $454,689 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Salem 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 $108,250 in Salem, OR (+$8,250).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Salem, OR: 59 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 1,869 sqft in Salem ($156 vs $268 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Salem, OR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $19,536 | +$900 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $5,239 | +$499 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,680 | +$430 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,704 | −$228 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $900 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $13,135 | +$5,768 |
| Total | $37,525 | $44,194 | +$6,669 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Salem, OR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 5.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 35 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $454,689 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 6.3× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 0.4% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $268 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,628 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 9.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 0.90% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $600 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 15.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 4.10 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 340 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |