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CityLedger

Indianapolis vs Minneapolis

Metro-area medians — Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN Metro Area vs Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Minneapolis comes out ahead, winning 7 of the 10 clearly-decided measures.

Indianapolis is about 10% cheaper to live in, while Minneapolis households earn about 22% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Minneapolis.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Indianapolis, IN
$59,064
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$61,720
real value after local prices
Minneapolis, MN
$57,702
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$55,048
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Indianapolis leaves you about $6,672/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Indianapolis
Minneapolis
Livability (CityLedger)
58/100
74/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
95.7
104.8
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$83,848
$93,423
Median household income
$80,239
$97,928
Median rent
$1,273/mo
$1,444/mo
Median home value
$291,400
$384,300
Unemployment
4%
3.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher
39.4%
45.9%
Average commute
25.6 min
24.1 min
Air quality (median AQI)
55
47
Avg temperature
54°F
46°F

Choose Indianapolis for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
Full Indianapolis profile →

Choose Minneapolis for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Minneapolis profile →

Indianapolis vs Minneapolis — frequently asked

Is Indianapolis cheaper than Minneapolis?
Indianapolis is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 10% below Minneapolis's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Indianapolis or Minneapolis?
Minneapolis has the higher median household income — $97,928 versus $80,239 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 22% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Indianapolis or Minneapolis?
A paycheck stretches further in Minneapolis. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $93,423 there versus $83,848 in Indianapolis.
Which has cheaper rent, Indianapolis or Minneapolis?
Indianapolis has cheaper rent — a median of $1,273/mo versus $1,444/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).