Indianapolis, IN vs Seattle, WA
Moving from Indianapolis to Seattle? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $750,279 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Seattle 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 $119,103 in Seattle, WA (+$19,103).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Seattle, WA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 1,200 sqft in Seattle ($156 vs $417 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Seattle, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $26,784 | +$8,148 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $5,405 | +$665 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $4,075 | +$825 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,548 | −$384 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,500 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $8,826 | +$1,459 |
| Total | $37,525 | $48,138 | +$10,613 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Seattle, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 112.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 4.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $6.41 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $750,279 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $417 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $2,232 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 0.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 4.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 37 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |