Moving to Indiana from Texas
What to Expect
Considering a move from Texas to Indiana? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Texas to Indiana, you would find that Indiana is 7.8% cheaper than Texas. A $75,000 salary in Texas would need to be roughly $69,200 in Indiana to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Indianapolis averages 62°F vs 80°F in Houston, making it significantly cooler. Houston and Indianapolis are about 870 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 Texas?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 9.6% less
Groceries
pay 3.2% less
Transportation
pay 11.5% less
Housing
pay 7.2% less
Childcare
pay 13.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.6% 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 → $69,200
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 7% less than cities in Texas.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Indiana compared to Texas.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Indiana performs significantly better than Texas 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
Texas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Indiana leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Indiana performs significantly better than Texas across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Texas 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
Texas 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
Texas 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 Texas
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Houston | Indianapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 67°/48°F (20°/9°C) | 42°/26°F (6°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 86°/67°F (30°/19°C) | 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 93°/73°F (34°/23°C) | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/53°F (23°/11°C) | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Houston | Indianapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63°/43°F (17.2°/6.2°C) | 35°/21°F (1.7°/-6.1°C) |
| Feb | 66°/47°F (19.1°/8.1°C) | 40°/24°F (4.4°/-4.4°C) |
| Mar | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.4°C) | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.8°C) |
| Apr | 80°/59°F (26.4°/15.2°C) | 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.4°C) |
| May | 86°/68°F (30.2°/19.8°C) | 72°/53°F (22.5°/11.7°C) |
| Jun | 91°/73°F (33.0°/22.9°C) | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) |
| Jul | 94°/75°F (34.3°/23.9°C) | 84°/67°F (28.8°/19.2°C) |
| Aug | 94°/75°F (34.7°/23.8°C) | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.3°C) |
| Sep | 90°/70°F (32.1°/21.0°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) |
| Oct | 82°/61°F (27.8°/16.1°C) | 64°/45°F (18.0°/7.3°C) |
| Nov | 72°/52°F (22.5°/11.2°C) | 52°/36°F (11.0°/2.3°C) |
| Dec | 64°/45°F (17.9°/7.0°C) | 38°/25°F (3.6°/-3.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Indiana than Texas?
On average Indiana is about 8% less expensive than Texas, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Indiana?
Budget about $17,300 for 3 months in Indiana (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Indiana safe?
Indiana performs significantly better than Texas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Indiana compared to Texas?
Texas generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Indiana leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Indiana compared to Texas?
The average high temperature in Indianapolis is 62°F, compared to 80°F in Houston. Indianapolis receives around 40.8 in of rainfall per year, while Houston gets 49.8 in.
