Bloomington vs Indianapolis leftover
You'd keep $582 more a month in Indianapolis
$2,468/mo leftover in Indianapolis vs $1,886 in Bloomington after tax and rent ($582 more). +$6,984 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Bloomington leftover
$1,886
a month after tax and rent
Indianapolis leftover
$2,468
+$582 vs Bloomington
Compare Bloomington to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Bloomington.
Monthly gap
Bloomington → Indianapolis
$582
more / month in Indianapolis
$2,468 in Indianapolis · $1,886 in Bloomington · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 1,132 households moved Bloomington → Indianapolis (avg AGI $54,530). 989 went the other way. The whole move →
+$582 / mo
| Per month | Bloomington | Indianapolis | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,208 | $7,400 | +$1,192 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,419 | $1,864 | +$445 |
| Take-home pay | $4,790 | $5,536 | +$746 |
| Rent | $1,062 | $1,189 | +$127 |
| Getting around | $470 | $545 | +$75 |
| Groceries | $378 | $368 | −$10 |
| Healthcare | $426 | $414 | −$12 |
| Utilities | $237 | $230 | −$7 |
| Everything else | $331 | $322 | −$9 |
| Left over | $1,886 | $2,468 | +$582 |
To break even in Indianapolis, you'd need to earn
$78,000
Household gross, versus $74,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Bloomington does now.
The tax difference alone
−$1,105
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 22.9% in Bloomington, 25.2% in Indianapolis.
More about Indianapolis
Bloomington, IN in full
A flat 3% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,264 and 206 sunny days; commutes average 22 minutes.
Indianapolis, IN in full
Cheap housing, a 3% flat state tax, and a short commute.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Indianapolis on Indianapolis wages.
Indianapolis → Bloomington →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Indianapolis than Bloomington?
A one-bedroom is about $1,062 in Bloomington versus $1,189 in Indianapolis. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $582 a month higher in Indianapolis. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Indianapolis have state income tax?
Indianapolis is in Indiana, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 2.02%.
What changes if you move from Bloomington to Indianapolis?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Indiana tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Bloomington and Indianapolis moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.