How Affordable Is Indiana, Really?

What it costs to live here, and how good a place it is to live, in plain numbers.

Best place to live rank

#33

33rd out of 50 states overall.

Below average for overall quality of life.

How we rank states ›

Cost to live here

#12

12th cheapest state, about 13% below average.

To live the way $75,000 affords in an average state, you would need about $65,300 here.

How we measure cost ›

Indiana ranks 33rd of 50 states for overall quality of life and 12th for affordability. It does best on cost, education, and safety, and struggles most with healthcare, green space, and air quality. A typical household earns about $64,000 a year, and the cost of living runs about 13% below average.

Why Indiana ranks #33 for living

Our Best Life Rank scores every state on the things that shape daily life, from cost and climate to schools and safety. Here is how Indiana scores on each, best to worst.

Cost of living
#12 of 50
Education
#22 of 50
Safety
#23 of 50
Economy
#26 of 50
Walkability
#32 of 50
Climate
#35 of 50
Dog friendly
#35 of 50
Healthcare
#37 of 50
Green space
#42 of 50
Air quality
#45 of 50

Each factor is ranked 1 (best) to 50 (worst) across all states. Green is strong, yellow is middling, red is weak.

Indiana at a glance

Typical household income

$64,000

38th highest

Typical home price

$245,000

44th highest

Overall cost of living

13% below average

12th cheapest

Total taxes on a typical household

About 7%

39th highest income tax

Typical commute

About 24 min

one way

Taxes in Indiana

See your real Indiana take-home pay

Enter your salary and get your actual paycheck after Indiana taxes.

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Sources: Cost and income from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Best Life Rank factors from the Commonwealth Fund, NAEP, FBI, EPA, and NOAA. Cost measured by the BLISS Score, v1.3 method. Updated 2026.