Tucson, AZ vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Tucson to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($343,580 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Tucson 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 Tucson, AZ, you'd need about $99,703 in Indianapolis, IN (−$297).
Livability — Tucson, AZ: 70 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,693 sqft in Tucson vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($186 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tucson, AZ | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,676 | $18,636 | +$960 |
| Groceries | $4,841 | $4,740 | −$101 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,250 | −$710 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,932 | +$264 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,600 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $7,594 | $7,367 | −$227 |
| Total | $37,539 | $37,525 | −$14 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tucson, AZ | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.9 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.87% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.5% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $343,580 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.3× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $186 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,473 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |