Indiana vs Tennessee
Your $100,000 in Indiana is worth
$107,181
at national prices · RPP 93.3BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
The same income in Tennessee is worth
$108,814
at national prices · RPP 91.9BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
Your income goes +$1,633 further in Tennessee (+1.5% purchasing power).
Show the math
Where the difference comes from
Price level by component, 100 = US average. Higher means more expensive.
| Component | Indiana | Tennessee | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 93.3 | 91.9 | −1.5% |
| Housing rents | 73.9 | 79.1 | +7.0% |
| Goods | 95.5 | 96.2 | +0.7% |
| Utilities | 85.5 | 72.1 | −15.7% |
| Other services | 99.1 | 95.1 | −4.0% |
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 2026 · Official API
Housing reality check
Typical rent and home price in each state — tangible context beyond the index.
US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates · ACS5 · 2024 · rel. December 2025 · Official API
Tax at a glance
Hand-curated, tax year 2026 · verified 2026-07-20
| Tax | Indiana | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax (top rate) | 2.95% | None |
| Sales tax (combined avg) | 7.00% | 9.61% |
Tax Foundation (income & sales) · Tax · 2026 · rel. tax year 2026 · Manually maintained · verified 2026-07-20
Indiana vs Tennessee: the read
The bottom line
Move a $100,000 income from Indiana to Tennessee and its purchasing power changes from $107,181 to $108,814 in national-average terms — a gain of $1,633. Tennessee is the cheaper of the two, running at 91.9 on the price index versus 93.3.
Where the difference comes from
The widest gap is utilities: Indiana sits at 85.5 and Tennessee at 72.1 (100 = national). Tennessee has the edge there, and it's the main reason the two states diverge.
Housing
Median rent runs $1,062 in Indiana against $1,189 in Tennessee, and the typical home $218,200 versus $286,700. Indiana is the more affordable place to buy.
Taxes
On tax, Indiana has 2.95% top income tax and a combined sales tax of 7.00%; Tennessee has no wage income tax and 9.61%. That income-tax difference can outweigh a chunk of the cost-of-living gap for higher earners.
Full profiles: Indiana ·Tennessee. Every figure here is sourced on the pages linked above.
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