Indianapolis, IN vs Sioux Falls, SD
Moving from Indianapolis to Sioux Falls? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($295,921 → $342,936 median home) and taxes.
Indianapolis vs Sioux Falls 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 $95,183 in Sioux Falls, SD (−$4,817).
Livability — Indianapolis, IN: 71 · Sioux Falls, SD: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis vs 2,479 sqft in Sioux Falls ($156 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Indianapolis, IN | Sioux Falls, SD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,636 | $15,708 | −$2,928 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $4,870 | +$130 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,200 | −$50 |
| Utilities | $1,932 | $1,572 | −$360 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $2,400 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $7,367 | $5,263 | −$2,104 |
| Total | $37,525 | $33,013 | −$4,512 |
Side by side
| Metric | Indianapolis, IN | Sioux Falls, SD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 90.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.28% | 2.15% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.1% | 10.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 55 | 34 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.13 |
| Median home price | $295,921 | $342,936 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| Price per square foot | $156 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,553 | $1,309 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 8.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 6.40% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 1.18% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $8,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 19 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 14.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 360 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 10 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |