St. Louis, MO vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from St. Louis to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($276,878 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
St. Louis 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 St. Louis, MO, you'd need about $99,660 in Indianapolis, IN (−$340).
Livability — St. Louis, MO: 65 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,161 sqft in St. Louis vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($158 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | St. Louis, MO | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,412 | $18,636 | +$1,224 |
| Groceries | $4,934 | $4,740 | −$194 |
| Transportation | $3,390 | $3,250 | −$140 |
| Utilities | $1,512 | $1,932 | +$420 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,600 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $10,488 | $7,367 | −$3,121 |
| Total | $40,136 | $37,525 | −$2,611 |
Side by side
| Metric | St. Louis, MO | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.0 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.35% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.3% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $276,878 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $158 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.3% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.80% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.55% | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.0 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $184 | $102 |
| Home internet / mo | $86 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.7 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 16.6 | 25.5 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 55% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |