Moving to Indiana from California
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from California to Indiana — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from California to Indiana, you would find that Indiana is 32.8% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $50,400 in Indiana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Indianapolis averages 62°F vs 75°F in Los Angeles, making it significantly cooler. Los Angeles and Indianapolis are about 1,800 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Indiana? Get a shortlist of towns in Indiana that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Indiana cheaper than California?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 23.9% less
Groceries
pay 25.1% less
Transportation
pay 26.5% less
Housing
pay 44.5% less
Childcare
pay 35.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 29.3% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Indiana?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $50,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Indiana
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Indiana cost about 37% less than cities in California.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from California to Indiana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Indiana performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
California performs better than Indiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Indiana performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California generally does better on infrastructure, though Indiana leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
California generally does better on employment & economy, though Indiana leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California performs better than Indiana across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Indiana vs California
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Los Angeles | Indianapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) | 42°/26°F (6°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Los Angeles | Indianapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) | 35°/21°F (1.7°/-6.1°C) |
| Feb | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) | 40°/24°F (4.4°/-4.4°C) |
| Mar | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.8°C) |
| Apr | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) | 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.4°C) |
| May | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) | 72°/53°F (22.5°/11.7°C) |
| Jun | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) | 84°/67°F (28.8°/19.2°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.3°C) |
| Sep | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) |
| Oct | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) | 64°/45°F (18.0°/7.3°C) |
| Nov | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) | 52°/36°F (11.0°/2.3°C) |
| Dec | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) | 38°/25°F (3.6°/-3.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Indiana than California?
Yes — Indiana is on average about 33% cheaper than California. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Indiana?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $12,600 in Indiana on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Indiana safe?
Indiana performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Indiana compared to California?
California performs better than Indiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Indiana compared to California?
The average high temperature in Indianapolis is 62°F, compared to 75°F in Los Angeles. Indianapolis receives around 40.8 in of rainfall per year, while Los Angeles gets 14.9 in.
