Syracuse, NY vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Syracuse to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($264,903 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Syracuse 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 Syracuse, NY, you'd need about $98,885 in Indianapolis, IN (−$1,115).
Livability — Syracuse, NY: 61 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,019 sqft in Syracuse vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($166 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Syracuse, NY | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,596 | $18,636 | −$960 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $4,740 | −$128 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,250 | −$645 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,932 | −$1,248 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,600 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $18,225 | $7,367 | −$10,858 |
| Total | $51,364 | $37,525 | −$13,839 |
Side by side
| Metric | Syracuse, NY | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.7 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.79% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.1% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.45 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $264,903 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.6% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $166 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,633 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 2.64% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $98 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $87 | $102 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 40.0 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 48.0 | 25.5 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 50% | 55% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |