Memphis Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Memphis to Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 92.2 to 95.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $199/mo.

+$5,264
BLS median salary higher in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
602 to 308
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.3:1 to 15.9:1
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
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 92.2 → 95.7
Rent Delta: +$199/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $5K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate

Cons of Moving

  • - 4% higher cost of living
  • - $199/mo more expensive rent (2BR)

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 92.2 to 95.7 (ratio 1.04), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $199/mo ($2,388/yr) from $1,274 in Memphis to $1,473 in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood sits #286 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Memphis is #300/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,264 higher ($65,102 → $70,366). Labor-market size: 597,090 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,085,370 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Tennessee 66 (C, #17/51) vs Indiana 62 (C, #24/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Memphis
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 92.2
RPP 95.7
Memphis
Rent (2BR)
$1,274/mo
$1,473/mo
Memphis
Wages
$65,102
$70,366
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
Crime
602 per 100K
308 per 100K
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
Schools
15.3:1
15.9:1
Memphis
Childcare
$7,860/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
1192 violations
1514 violations
Memphis

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 · Tennessee
66 C #17/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
36
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 Memphis to see what you'd need to earn in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
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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