Milwaukee, WI vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Milwaukee to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,238 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee, WI, you'd need about $98,932 in Indianapolis, IN (−$1,068).
Livability — Milwaukee, WI: 62 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,178 sqft in Milwaukee vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($230 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Milwaukee, WI | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,456 | $18,636 | +$180 |
| Groceries | $4,691 | $4,740 | +$49 |
| Transportation | $3,085 | $3,250 | +$165 |
| Utilities | $2,076 | $1,932 | −$144 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,600 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $13,873 | $7,367 | −$6,505 |
| Total | $43,481 | $37,525 | −$5,956 |
Side by side
| Metric | Milwaukee, WI | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.7 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.84% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.4% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 45 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.44 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $390,238 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.3% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $230 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,538 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.9% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.43% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.65% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.62% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.2 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 320 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 8 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |