Moving to Virginia from Indiana
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Indiana to Virginia — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Indiana to Virginia, you would find that Virginia is 26.2% more expensive than Indiana. A $75,000 salary in Indiana would need to be roughly $92,899 in Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Indiana to Virginia.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $92,899
To maintain the same standard of living in Virginia
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 18.4% more
Groceries
pay 36.2% more
Transportation
pay 28.5% more
Housing
pay 19.6% more
Childcare
pay 41.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 27.2% more
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 Virginia cost about 23% more than cities in Indiana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Indiana to Virginia.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Indiana generally does better on safety, though Virginia leads in violent crime rate.
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
Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Indiana leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Indiana performs better than Virginia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Indiana generally does better on infrastructure, though Virginia leads in internet access.
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
Virginia 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
Virginia 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Indianapolis | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/26°F (6°/-3°C) | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Indianapolis | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/21°F (1.7°/-6.1°C) | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) |
| Feb | 40°/24°F (4.4°/-4.4°C) | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) |
| Mar | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.8°C) | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) |
| Apr | 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.4°C) | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) |
| May | 72°/53°F (22.5°/11.7°C) | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) |
| Jun | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 84°/67°F (28.8°/19.2°C) | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) |
| Aug | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.3°C) | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) |
| Sep | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) |
| Oct | 64°/45°F (18.0°/7.3°C) | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) |
| Nov | 52°/36°F (11.0°/2.3°C) | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) |
| Dec | 38°/25°F (3.6°/-3.9°C) | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Virginia than Indiana?
No — Virginia is on average about 24% more expensive than Indiana. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Virginia?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $23,225 in Virginia on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Virginia safe?
Indiana generally does better on safety, though Virginia leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Virginia compared to Indiana?
Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Indiana leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Virginia compared to Indiana?
The average high temperature in Richmond is 70°F, compared to 62°F in Indianapolis. Richmond receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Indianapolis gets 40.8 in.
