Tulsa, OK vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Tulsa to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($253,725 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Tulsa 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 Tulsa, OK, you'd need about $105,290 in Indianapolis, IN (+$5,290).
Livability — Tulsa, OK: 71 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,745 sqft in Tulsa vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($134 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tulsa, OK | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,224 | $18,636 | +$2,412 |
| Groceries | $4,667 | $4,740 | +$73 |
| Transportation | $3,575 | $3,250 | −$325 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,932 | +$492 |
| Insurance | $4,400 | $1,600 | −$2,800 |
| Taxes | $9,670 | $7,367 | −$2,302 |
| Total | $39,976 | $37,525 | −$2,451 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tulsa, OK | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.9 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.14% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.1% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $253,725 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $134 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,352 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.0% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.99% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.75% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 0.94% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,400 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $56 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $83 | $102 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 94 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.0 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 8.7 | 25.5 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 55% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |