Moving from St. Louis to Indianapolis: Costs, Taxes & Where to Live

St. Louis and Indianapolis have a lot in common: big Midwest metros on I-70, similar paychecks, and plenty of house for the money compared with the coasts. So a move from St. Louis is usually about a job, family or a fresh start rather than a dramatically cheaper life, and on a few costs St. Louis actually comes out ahead. Here’s what the federal, state and local data shows, where each city wins, and where St. Louis transplants tend to settle around Indianapolis.

Indianapolis vs. St. Louis at a Glance

Cost of Living: What the Federal Data Shows

The Bureau of Economic Analysis measures how expensive each metro is compared with the national average. In 2024 the Indianapolis metro scored 95.7 and the St. Louis metro 95.1, so St. Louis is slightly cheaper overall. The categories pull in different directions. St. Louis is clearly cheaper on housing (79.0 vs. 88.9) and utilities (69.9 vs. 86.4), while goods cost more there (100.0 vs. 94.3), right at the national average. Incomes are a near match: the median household earned $83,815 in the Indianapolis metro and $83,656 in the St. Louis metro in 2025 (Census ACS).

In other words, day-to-day life costs about the same. Your rent and utility bills may run a little higher in Indianapolis, your shopping a little lower, and the bigger differences show up in property taxes and the kind of home you buy. Our cost of living in Indianapolis breakdown goes line by line through rent, utilities, taxes and the income you need.

Home Prices and Rent

St. Louis REALTORS® reported a median single-family sale price of $340,000 for September 2026, while the single-family median across the MIBOR area around Indianapolis was $320,000, according to our market update. That’s about $20,000 less in Indianapolis, or roughly $120 a month on a mortgage with 10% down at the current 7.24% rate (Freddie Mac, Oct. 29, 2026). Homes sold a little faster here too: a median of 27 days versus 31.

The Census Bureau’s 2025 survey, which asks owners what their homes are worth, points the other way: a median of $304,600 in the Indianapolis metro versus $283,300 in the St. Louis metro. Each REALTOR® association reports on its own service area, and the Census counts every owner in the metro, so the honest read is that home prices are close. Renters will notice a gap: median gross rent is $1,380 in the Indianapolis metro versus $1,232 in St. Louis, about $150 a month more here. Central Indiana’s fast-growing suburbs have a lot of newer construction, so many buyers trade up to a newer home at a similar price. Start with our best suburbs for families and most affordable suburbs rankings, see how much house you can afford, or search live listings.

Taxes: Income, Property and Vehicles

Income tax. Missouri’s top individual rate is 4.7% for 2026, and the City of St. Louis adds a 1% earnings tax on residents, wherever they work, and on nonresidents for work done in the city. On the Illinois side of the metro, the state rate is a flat 4.95%. Indiana’s state rate is 2.95% on nearly all income, plus a county income tax based on where you live on January 1: 1.10% in Hamilton County, 1.40% in Johnson, 1.70% in Hendricks, 1.71% in Boone, 1.94% in Hancock and 2.02% in Marion County. Here’s our rough math for a single filer with $100,000 in wages, at the top or flat rates and before exemptions, deductions and credits (Missouri’s lower brackets on the first slice of income would bring its figures down a little):

So if you live in the City of St. Louis now, almost anywhere around Indianapolis will lower your income tax. From St. Louis County, St. Charles County or the Illinois side, it’s closer to a wash: you’ll pay less in Hamilton or Johnson County and about the same in Hendricks or Marion County. In your move year, expect to file part-year returns.

Property tax. This is where Indianapolis comes out ahead. The median homeowner property tax bill was $2,596 in the Indianapolis metro in 2025 versus $3,187 in the St. Louis metro (Census ACS), about $600 a year less, even though Indianapolis home values ran a bit higher in that survey. The suburban gap is bigger: the median bill was $3,641 in St. Louis County and $3,836 in St. Charles County. Inside the city limits it’s close, at $2,393 in Indianapolis versus $2,269 in St. Louis. Indiana’s constitution caps property taxes on your primary home at 1% of its assessed value once you file the homestead deduction. Bills still follow home values: Hamilton County’s median was $4,356, but on homes with a median value of $483,600. Compare counties in our guide to property taxes by county around Indianapolis.

Your car. Missouri charges personal property tax every year on vehicles you own on January 1, assessed at one-third of their value, and you file a declaration with your county assessor. Indiana doesn’t tax vehicles as personal property. Instead you pay a vehicle excise tax with your registration each year, based on the car’s original price class and its age, plus a county excise or wheel tax in some counties. New residents have 60 days to title and register with the Indiana BMV. This is general information, not tax advice, so run your own numbers with a tax professional.

The Drive and the Time Change

Indianapolis is about 244 miles east of St. Louis, almost all of it on I-70, roughly a four-hour drive. Plan for the clock: St. Louis is on Central time and Indianapolis is on Eastern, so you lose an hour heading east and gain it back driving home. I-70 comes into Indianapolis from the west through Plainfield, so if you’ll be making regular trips back to Missouri, the west side and Hendricks County keep that drive shortest.

Where St. Louis Transplants Tend to Look

• If you liked an older, walkable suburb like Kirkwood or Webster Groves: tree-lined streets and older homes near a small downtown, like Irvington, Broad Ripple and Meridian-Kessler, or Zionsville with its brick-street village.
• If you liked Soulard, Lafayette Square or Tower Grove: historic, close-in neighborhoods near downtown, like Fountain Square and Mass Ave.
• If you liked newer suburbs like Chesterfield, O’Fallon or Wentzville: planned neighborhoods and new construction in Fishers and Westfield, where Hamilton County also has the metro’s lowest county income tax, or Avon and Brownsburg on the west side.
• Close to I-70 for trips back to Missouri: Plainfield and Avon in Hendricks County.

Not sure which fits? Our Indianapolis relocation guide walks through the whole metro, and our honest look at the pros and cons of living in Indianapolis covers the trade-offs. Moving from somewhere else? See our Chicago, Louisville, Columbus and California guides.

Your Move Checklist

• Title and register your vehicles and switch your driver’s license with the Indiana BMV within 60 days.
• File your homestead deduction with the county auditor after you close.
• Check which county’s income tax applies for your move year, and plan on part-year Missouri (or Illinois) returns, plus the St. Louis earnings tax if it applied to you.
• Set up utilities before move-in with our Central Indiana utilities guide.
• Talk with us about buyer representation; a written buyer agreement sets out how your agent is paid, so you know the terms before you tour.

Talk to Our Team

Our team helps relocating buyers every month, including live virtual tours and buying before you arrive. Tell us what you have in St. Louis and what you want here, and we’ll map out the areas that fit. Call 317-997-7404 or book a buyer consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources: BEA Regional Price Parities by metro (2024) · St. Louis RPP via FRED · Census ACS 2025 median home value · median gross rent · median real estate taxes · median household income · St. Louis REALTORS® Monthly Indicators, September 2026 · Indianapolis home prices: MIBOR REALTOR® Association via our market update · Freddie Mac mortgage rates (Oct 29, 2026) · Missouri DOR Financial and Statistical Report (top income tax rate by year) · City of St. Louis earnings tax · Illinois withholding tables, 2026 (4.95%) · Missouri personal property assessment, RSMo 137.115 · St. Louis County new-resident personal property declaration · Indiana BMV vehicle excise tax · Indiana BMV, new residents · Indiana DOR county tax rates (2026) · Indiana DLGF, property tax caps · distance: OpenStreetMap routing

Related Resources

• Relocation Buyers
• Indiana Property Tax Caps Explained
• Utilities by City and Town
• Buying With Virtual Home Tours