Moving to Massachusetts from Indiana

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Indiana to Massachusetts — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Indiana to Massachusetts, you would find that Massachusetts is 31.6% more expensive than Indiana. A $75,000 salary in Indiana would need to be roughly $99,406 in Massachusetts to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Indiana to Massachusetts.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $99,406

To maintain the same standard of living in Massachusetts

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 21.4% more

Groceries

pay 26.9% more

Transportation

pay 23.0% more

Housing

pay 44.0% more

Childcare

pay 53.2% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 43.9% more

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

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 Massachusetts cost about 46% more than cities in Indiana.

Indiana

Massachusetts

Cambridge 85%
Worcester 73%

Compare cities head-to-head

Key Indicator Comparison

How Indiana and Massachusetts stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

IN
327
MA
308
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

IN
1519
MA
1077

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Indiana across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

IN
7.3%
MA
2.6%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

IN
38.5%
MA
28.8%

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Indiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

IN
$201,600
MA
$525,800
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

IN
$1,020
MA
$1,687

Indiana performs better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

IN
88.5%
MA
91.9%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

IN
24 min
MA
29 min

Indiana generally does better on infrastructure, though Massachusetts leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

IN
2.7%
MA
4.7%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

IN
$59,083
MA
$87,892

Massachusetts generally does better on employment & economy, though Indiana leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

IN
75.0 yrs
MA
79.0 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

IN
19%
MA
32%

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Indiana across all family life metrics.

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Indianapolis Rain: 40.8 in/yr (1036 mm)
62° / 44°F

Avg. annual high / low

Boston Rain: 43.8 in/yr (1112 mm)
59° / 44°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Indianapolis Boston
Jan–Mar 42°/26°F (6°/-3°C) 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) 66°/50°F (19°/10°C)
Jul–Sep 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) 78°/62°F (25°/17°C)
Oct–Dec 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) 51°/38°F (11°/3°C)
View all months
Month Indianapolis Boston
Jan 35°/21°F (1.7°/-6.1°C) 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C)
Feb 40°/24°F (4.4°/-4.4°C) 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C)
Mar 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.8°C) 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C)
Apr 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.4°C) 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C)
May 72°/53°F (22.5°/11.7°C) 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C)
Jun 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C)
Jul 84°/67°F (28.8°/19.2°C) 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C)
Aug 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.3°C) 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C)
Sep 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C)
Oct 64°/45°F (18.0°/7.3°C) 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C)
Nov 52°/36°F (11.0°/2.3°C) 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C)
Dec 38°/25°F (3.6°/-3.9°C) 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Massachusetts than Indiana?

Day-to-day costs in Massachusetts run about 33% higher than Indiana on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Massachusetts?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $24,852 in Massachusetts for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Massachusetts safe?

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Indiana across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Massachusetts compared to Indiana?

Massachusetts performs significantly better than Indiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in Massachusetts compared to Indiana?

The average high temperature in Boston is 59°F, compared to 62°F in Indianapolis. Boston receives around 43.8 in of rainfall per year, while Indianapolis gets 40.8 in.

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