Moving to Indiana from Virginia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Virginia to Indiana — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Virginia to Indiana, you would find that Indiana is 21.9% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $58,600 in Indiana to maintain the same lifestyle. Virginia Beach and Indianapolis are about 590 mi apart.
Is Indiana cheaper than Virginia?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 18.8% less
Groceries
pay 22.0% less
Transportation
pay 14.6% less
Housing
pay 24.4% less
Childcare
pay 38.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 23.8% 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 → $58,600
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 23% less than cities in Virginia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Virginia to Indiana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Virginia generally does better on safety, though Indiana leads in property 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 significantly better than Virginia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Virginia 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
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 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 Virginia
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Richmond | Indianapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 42°/26°F (6°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Indianapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 35°/21°F (1.7°/-6.1°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 40°/24°F (4.4°/-4.4°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.8°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.4°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 72°/53°F (22.5°/11.7°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 84°/67°F (28.8°/19.2°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.3°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.9°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 64°/45°F (18.0°/7.3°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 52°/36°F (11.0°/2.3°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 38°/25°F (3.6°/-3.9°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Indiana than Virginia?
Yes — Indiana is on average about 22% cheaper than Virginia. 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 $14,650 in Indiana on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Indiana safe?
Virginia generally does better on safety, though Indiana leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Indiana compared to Virginia?
Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Indiana leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Indiana compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Indianapolis is 62°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Indianapolis receives around 40.8 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
