Providence, RI vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Providence to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($524,867 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Providence 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 Providence, RI, you'd need about $93,241 in Indianapolis, IN (−$6,759).
Livability — Providence, RI: 58 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,524 sqft in Providence vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($328 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Providence, RI | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,956 | $18,636 | −$7,320 |
| Groceries | $4,922 | $4,740 | −$182 |
| Transportation | $3,875 | $3,250 | −$625 |
| Utilities | $3,060 | $1,932 | −$1,128 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,600 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $13,121 | $7,367 | −$5,754 |
| Total | $52,634 | $37,525 | −$15,109 |
Side by side
| Metric | Providence, RI | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 101.5 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.82% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.78 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $524,867 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.1% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $328 | $156 |
| Median rent | $2,163 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.4% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.99% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.31% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 28.3 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 240 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 21 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |