Phoenix, AZ → Indianapolis, IN
Moving to Indianapolis costs you $108 a month
−$1,296 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 306 households moved Phoenix → Indianapolis (avg AGI $67,124). 415 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Phoenix | Indianapolis | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,583 | $7,427 | −$156 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,709 | $1,874 | +$165 |
| Take-home pay | $5,875 | $5,553 | −$321 |
| Rent | $1,276 | $1,205 | −$71 |
| Getting around | $586 | $545 | −$41 |
| Groceries | $396 | $368 | −$28 |
| Healthcare | $446 | $414 | −$32 |
| Utilities | $248 | $230 | −$18 |
| Everything else | $347 | $322 | −$25 |
| Left over | $2,577 | $2,469 | −$108 |
To break even in Indianapolis, you'd need to earn
$91,000
Household gross, versus $91,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Phoenix does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,534
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 22.5% in Phoenix, 25.2% in Indianapolis.
More about Indianapolis
Phoenix, AZ in full
A 2.5% flat income tax, cheap housing for a big metro, and a genuinely dangerous July.
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 → Phoenix →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.