Washington, DC vs Indianapolis, IN
Moving from Washington to Indianapolis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($583,013 → $295,921 median home) and taxes.
Washington 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 Washington, DC, you'd need about $86,404 in Indianapolis, IN (−$13,596).
Livability — Washington, DC: 39 · Indianapolis, IN: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,286 sqft in Washington vs 3,211 sqft in Indianapolis ($389 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Washington, DC | Indianapolis, IN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $28,992 | $18,636 | −$10,356 |
| Groceries | $5,318 | $4,740 | −$578 |
| Transportation | $3,855 | $3,250 | −$605 |
| Utilities | $2,748 | $1,932 | −$816 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,600 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $17,710 | $7,367 | −$10,343 |
| Total | $60,023 | $37,525 | −$22,498 |
Side by side
| Metric | Washington, DC | Indianapolis, IN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 109.5 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.87% | 4.28% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.2% | 6.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.23 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $583,013 | $295,921 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.5% | 1.3% |
| Price per square foot | $389 | $156 |
| Median rent | $2,416 | $1,553 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.0% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 7.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 3.05% |
| Property tax rate | 0.95% | 0.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $26,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.20% |
| Avg commute (min) | 34 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 25.4 | 17.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 1,000 | 360 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 29 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |