Manchester, NH vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Manchester to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($526,340 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Manchester vs Indianapolis 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 Manchester, NH, you'd need about $89,612 in Indianapolis, IN (−$10,388).
Livability — Manchester, NH: 62 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,710 sqft in Manchester vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($292 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Manchester, NH | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,632 | $18,636 | −$6,996 |
| Groceries | $4,935 | $4,740 | −$195 |
| Transportation | $2,955 | $3,250 | +$295 |
| Utilities | $2,940 | $1,932 | −$1,008 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,600 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $6,681 | $7,367 | +$686 |
| Total | $44,143 | $37,525 | −$6,618 |
Side by side
| Metric | Manchester, NH | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.6 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.69% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.01 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $526,340 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $292 | $156 |
| Median rent | $2,136 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.88% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.80% | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.2 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 120 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 81 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |