SalaryCompareTool

Lafayette, LA vs Indianapolis, IN

Moving from Lafayette to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($202,312 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.

Lafayette vs Indianapolis at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Lafayette, LA Indianapolis, IN Cost-of-living index Lafayette, LA — Cost-of-living index: 88 88 Indianapolis, IN — Cost-of-living index: 95 95 Median home price Lafayette, LA — Median home price: $202k $202k Indianapolis, IN — Median home price: $296k $296k Price per sqft Lafayette, LA — Price per sqft: $101 $101 Indianapolis, IN — Price per sqft: $156 $156 Median rent Lafayette, LA — Median rent: $1,371 $1,371 Indianapolis, IN — Median rent: $1,553 $1,553 Combined sales tax Lafayette, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Indianapolis, IN — Combined sales tax: 7.0% 7.0% Property tax rate Lafayette, LA — Property tax rate: 0.49% 0.49% Indianapolis, IN — Property tax rate: 0.84% 0.84% Violent crime /100k Lafayette, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Indianapolis, IN — Violent crime /100k: 360 360 Electricity ¢/kWh Lafayette, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Indianapolis, IN — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.9 17.9 Avg commute (min) Lafayette, LA — Avg commute (min): 26 26 Indianapolis, IN — Avg commute (min): 25 25 Avg summer high °F Lafayette, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Indianapolis, IN — Avg summer high °F: 86° 86° Avg winter low °F Lafayette, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43° Indianapolis, IN — Avg winter low °F: 20° 20°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Lafayette, LA, you'd need about $108,106 in Indianapolis, IN (+$8,106).

Livability — Lafayette, LA: 72 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,941 sqft in Lafayette vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($101 vs $156 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryLafayette, LAIndianapolis, INDifference
Housing $16,452 $18,636 +$2,184
Groceries $4,650 $4,740 +$90
Transportation $4,475 $3,250 −$1,225
Utilities $1,560 $1,932 +$372
Insurance $3,500 $1,600 −$1,900
Taxes $8,509 $7,367 −$1,142
Total $39,146 $37,525 −$1,621

Side by side

MetricLafayette, LAIndianapolis, IN
Cost-of-living index87.694.7
Unemployment rate5.97%4.28%
Population growth (5-yr)-1.6%6.1%
Air quality (median AQI)5155
Big Mac price (est.)$4.98$5.39
Median home price$202,312$295,921
Home price ÷ income3.5×4.0×
1-yr home appreciation2.1%1.3%
Price per square foot$101$156
Median rent$1,371$1,553
Total tax burden (% income)9.1%9.3%
Combined sales tax9.56%7.00%
Capital gains tax4.25%3.05%
Property tax rate0.49%0.84%
Healthcare (annual)$6,600$6,600
Childcare (annual, infant)$8,000$12,000
Vehicle property tax0.10%1.20%
Avg commute (min)2625
Home insurance / yr$3,500$1,600
Auto insurance / yr$2,900$1,400
Flood insurance / yr$1,000$600
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh14.417.9
Gas $/gal2.953.30
Violent crime /100k630360
Avg summer high °F9286
Avg winter low °F4320
Permit difficulty (1–5)22
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