PlainRelocate

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.6 to 95.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $308/mo.

-$6,734
BLS median salary lower in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
277 to 308
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
13.4:1 to 15.2:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 103.6 → 95.7
Rent Delta: -$308/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 8% lower cost of living
  • + $308/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $7K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 103.6 to 95.7, so each dollar covers more in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood (ratio 0.92). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $308/mo ($3,696/yr) from $1,781 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to $1,473 in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood sits #286 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is #329/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,734 lower ($77,100 → $70,366). Labor-market size: 4,480,500 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,085,370 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Illinois 58 (D, #31/51) vs Indiana 62 (C, #24/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 103.6
RPP 95.7
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
Rent (2BR)
$1,781/mo
$1,473/mo
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
Wages
$77,100
$70,366
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Crime
277 per 100K
308 per 100K
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Schools
13.4:1
15.2:1
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Childcare
$12,257/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
3029 violations
1514 violations
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Illinois
58 D #31/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
46
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
46
Destination state · Indiana
62 C #24/51
Income tax
72
Property tax
69
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
32

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to see what you'd need to earn in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
-
See the reverse: Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood → Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026