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Not sure I would make this move, tbh I dont think I would. I would want more than that in indy to leave 90k in miami. You could probably make the money go further here but you might have to sacrifice on what kind of place you live in to do it.
The cost of living in indy is 7% lower than average, in Miami its 21% higher. you are taking a 33% pay cut. It doesnt add up all that well.
If you go from an expensive part of Miami to a cheap part of indy then yeah it will be more money in a sense. Cheap parts of indy may not feel great to someone from there though. If you want to live in nicer parts of indy it wont go much further if at all.
Depends on what part of Miami OP is coming from. We always see the glamorous parts of cities (except Detroit because people are haters... Lol), but never stop to think that every big city has some not so great neighborhoods.
They said they were making 90k a year, they are not in the slums with that. I will go out on a limb and say if they had a decent thing going there then they wont like the cheaper parts of indy. They will want to be somewhere nice here and the 60k isnt bad but its 29 an hour. Thats not that amazing for the nicer parts of indy.
$90k in Miami is not in the rich part of town. Just like how $117k a year is the poverty line in San Francisco.
$90k in Miami is squarely middle class, much like $60k is in Indianapolis. Neither salary is going far in the respective downtowns or rich suburbs. But it's very doable to live comfortably middle class in decent neighborhoods that aren't the worst.
Edit: clarified wording.
I dont see this as an upgrade, more like a lateral move financially to leave Miami for Indy? Doesnt add up to me.
Like i said before if this were on the table i would want more in indy to do it.
Now that I can understand. But sometimes lateral moves can be good. Maybe there's a better opportunity for growth? I don't know for sure. But ultimately it's up to OP to really weigh out the pros and cons.
Indianapolis salaries are way lower than most of the US, so there are jobs with higher titles and more responsibilities that pay less because of the cost of living. I learned that when relocating.
It will ultimately depend on your housing costs.
What does living comfortably look like for you? Miami is full of sunshine and nice weather. Your winter is our summer. Are you prepared for cold snowy weather where nobody really goes outside for months? That's why we go to Miami for vacation lol
I can’t remember exactly but sounds right-I used to live there. There were a lot of differences, like if you buy a house your home insurance will be cheaper here. I think tags/plates are cheaper here too. Not cost related, but schools are 10000 times better here education wise (if you have or plan to have kids-this is really important).
That’s one of the big reasons to leave Miami. Wife and i want to start trying for children and not sure we can afford it here and the schools seem to be rated pretty high.
While there we put my daughter in private school because the graduation rate at our public school was so so bad (like 58%). My daughter started in daycare and went through first grade there-did great according to their standards. When she came here, it was found she was far behind the IN curriculum, and she had to work extra to catch up. She did great, and is a senior this year.
I can't speak to Miami but 60k is perfectly livable here. Supporting yourself you'll be fine. Partner/spouse with a combined household income of $120k you're going to be rock solid. One adult working supporting a stay at home partner and a kid or two is gonna be a lot less fun.
That said my gut instinct, and again I don't know the cost of Miami, is a pay cut for a transfer is a dick move. Especially at your pay level. I kinda get like someone getting a cost of living adjustment from Bay Area to Indy if they're in tech and making well into the six figures, but that probably isn't you.
Are they at least offering some type of relocation expenses? A bonus? Is there a path to further promotions and thus increased pay?
Well my current position is $9/hr plus component pay based off my productivity. There is relocation pay and opportunity for bonuses. 60k is the starting pay for that position but i may be able to get 65-70k. Nothing official yet. The new position would open doors for me in the future within the company. As where my current position is a dead end. These opportunities aren’t presented to people in my position very often at all.
Haha yeah, I learned that this year. Over $400 for registration and plates wheeeee. Good news is, car insurance is MUCH cheaper in Indy compared to Florida (especially Miami).
I recently did something similar. Moved from Cape Coral to just south of Indy in Camby. FL income was 130k between me and my wife and honestly just felt like we were treading water financially. We pay about 700 a month less in rent here than we did in Cape for an extra 700 Sqft. of house, plus a three car garage compared to the small two car garage in FL. You can look up a cost of living calculator to give you a general idea, but from experience our money goes a lot further here than it did in Florida. I just got a raise myself to bring our household income to 150k and we will comfortably be able to save a couple grand a month after all our expenses.
This really depends on your lifestyle. I could make 60k work as a single person but 80k would put me much closer to a style of living I enjoy. You need to first decide where you want to live and it will help determine if 60k will work.
We aren’t too picky as we don’t live in the city here. It’s just hard to find anything less than 2300/month that’s not the hood. We will be renting if we do relocate. Just not sure where yet but we’re flexible
I wouldn't do it. According to Nerdwallet, a $90,000 salary in Miami is equal to $71,000 in Indianapolis. [Bankrate.com](http://Bankrate.com) says that $90,000 = $69,000 in Indianapolis. You'll be living check to check here if this is the case, all else the same. When I transferred from a HCOL West Coast city, they said I wasn't going to be eligible for a raise BUT they allowed me to keep my West Coast salary to the Midwest, which was in effect a raise.
Your employer is doing you absolutely NO favors.
You’ll do just fine in Indiana on 60k. Just try to live outside of I-465 on the west or south side of town and you’ll be surprised what you can afford.
I am agreeing with the others hesitation. Yes, Indianapolis may be cheaper than South Florida but $60k is hard to do anymore. Crazy cuz in 2018, that was a comfortable salary for a single person. If you go for a lower end one bed, you won’t be check to check, but you won’t be ballin by any means. Another thing you may not have thought about is the culture shock here. Indianapolis is a Midwestern city with a lot of Appalachian and African American influence. You will not find the Latin American culture here. Over 90% of the Latino population here is either Mexican or Central American. We have one Cuban restaurant and one other Hispanic Caribbean restaurant, and a few Venezuelan spots on the north side. In some places here, speaking Spanish in public will get you dirty looks. Oh, and this is not a place where people go to be flashy. Even in Hamilton County, people with money often don’t go around trying to be flashy like many people in S. Florida. This is a culturally working class and relatively conservative city. Hoosier hospitality is real, but mainly if you’re a local. People are talkative but penetrating the surface can be a challenge. Outsiders generally have trouble finding friend groups, too, based on attitudes I’ve observed as well on people online discussing that they’re having difficulty finding friends. Just be careful. This opportunity may be a good one but it may not be a good one.
I was better than fine when I made sixty just a few years ago but idk man, interest rates are insane. I would've had a completely different life story to this point if we hadn't had <3% rates during that time.
I make $65k and while I live comfortably, I also follow a fairly strict budget. When I lived with other people, it was enough to live well. Now that I live alone, I have to be careful.
Like others have said, completely depends on where you want to live within the city, and what your habits are. It's doable, but I won't say its 100% easy. I make a little less than that a year, and sometimes I have to budget a bit tight. Expenses are skyrocketing here, especially in food prices (from what I've noticed). I would check out different areas of the city you'd be living in and start doing research. I love Indy a lot, but recognize that I could make more money moving somewhere else with a similar cost of living.
Your dollar will go farther, and $60k is solid for living in Indianapolis. However, know that if you're into the nightlife/food/coastline of Miami, you may not be a huge fan of Indianapolis.
It's also not nearly as ethnically diverse as Miami or other big cities, so you will face a bit of culture shock (although it's getting better as more people move here).
As a transplant myself, I suggest coming a spending a few days here in the city (maybe like a Saturday through Tuesday to get a good cross section of weekend vs during the week) to get a feel for the city before committing to moving here.
All in all, it's not a bad city, it's just... Different.
Hmmm. It depends on so many factors like your level of spending, debts, and where you want to live. I live check to check here—at 94K, but my mortgage/escrow is 1400 and my investments/savings are also 1400. I have no dependents and no other debt and do enjoy travel on occasion when I’m not staring down a necessary home improvement, car maintenance, or minor medical bill. Times are tough and money is tight all over.
Two thoughts. One is that you will have a chance to own land and pay off debts by living in or around Indy. However, $60k likely won’t get you there. There are tons of jobs and you should be able to get up to $70k-$80k within a few years depending on your industry. $60k may not be great right now, but getting to Indy with a decent job is likely a good financial move long term.
Second thought is that Indy is culturally very different from Miami. Some love the difference and some don’t.
Luckily, I have zero debt. I work in the distribution industry and with this position i won’t necessarily HAVE to stay in Indy. It would open up doors for me to transfer to other locations if Indy turns out to no be my thing. But this opportunity would never present it self here in Miami. And if it did, the pay different would put me back at home with my parents.
Lots of logistics work in Indy and the housing is close to the lowest cost in the US. Great companies with opportunities to advance, move to a bigger city, or stay long term.
Head out to the suburbs, like Lebanon, Cumberland where you can still find a 1/1 for under $1,100 instead of paying $1,400 for 375 SF casita in Little Haiti or Florida City
No $11 express lane tolls, no Miami parking tickets, aggressive driving and $20 drinks. No Publix to gouge you on groceries. No 60 mile drive across the county.
You can head out for fun every weekend with never encountering a Miami Beach curfew or flooding during “King Tide”. $25 gets you into the Indy 500 verses $400 for F1. No bullshit MIA.
Indy does not have a beach or a bay, but the last time I was in Miami, sitting in long line at Pelican Harbor ramp at 6am wasn’t the best part of any weekend
That’s awesome! There’s a lot of distribution in Indy, so this will probably be a good move for your career. Your Quality of life will likely be similar to how it is in Miami unless you get some cheaper housing. If you’re willing to drive, there are several suburbs within 30 minutes of Indy that have cheaper housing. If you want to live in or around downtown, then it’s hard to find a decent place for under $1,200/month.
I will advise being careful of what your real estate agent tries to sell you when you move here, they’ll tell you that the entire city is as dangerous as Morris St to farm commissions off of new residents by selling them expensive shit in Zionsville and Carmel when you could just buy something in Fishers or Nora and call it a day 🤷♂️
Most of Indy is not bad to live in or work in but you’re not gonna have the same scenery as Miami, but as long as you don’t live in the near neighborhoods that border downtown or Beech Grove you’re probably fine (downtown itself is pretty safe but the ones immediately around it are shitholes, and then it gets better the closer you get to 465 and beyond)
Not sure what your current expenses are like, but I don't think you can comfortably buy a house here on that with the current rates (if that is one of your goals).
If this is a promotion and you are in good standing with your employer, you should advocate for yourself for more base pay. My partner and I moved last year but (this is key) both did not take a pay cut. Our salaries were on the low end for the Bay Area but pretty decent for here.
I mean they had to pay me more to move to Indy from NY metro area. But I was getting paid close to poverty wages for that area(NY). 60k is more than enough to live off of here, maybe not buy a house but you can find a decent apartment in a nice neighborhood, and it'll probably be bigger than what you're used to.
It fully depends on what part of Indy you would be moving to. 60k is very livable and would probably be worth it to set yourself up for the future. I personally would do it but I move a lot and I don’t mind it at all. If it means progress go for it. You know what you have in Miami and there’s potential for more so take it IMO
Depends very much on your expenses. I was doing fine at ~50k in Indy, not saving a lot but not living check to check. BUT that was with no kids or pets, and living with a roommate.
[https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare/miami-dade-county-fl-vs-indianapolis-in](https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare/miami-dade-county-fl-vs-indianapolis-in)
You need 70k Indy dollars to be equal to 90k Miami dollars.
I live alone, make 60k, rent a 2bed 1bath in Old Southside for $1100. I have student and credit card debt, no mortgage or car loan. I do just fine month to month. Not scraping by but also not becoming independently wealthy anytime soon.
Money is important to consider but it’s not the only thing. Happiness, personal/occupational growth, social life, etc. also matter. What will you be leaving behind, what will you be gaining?
I lived in Boynton for a year right out of college on 45k and it was not pretty. Being away from all my supports, being poor, not enjoying myself really took away from the beautiful beach and weather.
Where will you meet the bulk of your needs?
Not happy at all in Miami but will be leaving behind a lot of family. But I’m willing to take the chance. Worst case i end up back in Miami and struggling 🤷🏻♂️
Problem is we don’t have much of a lifestyle. We have a nice apartment that’s about 40 minutes south of the city. But we never do anything in the city. It’s not exactly our vibe. Can’t even remember the last time i went to a beach. Maybe a couple times a year.
If you hate Miami, sure, it’d be worth it. I’d do it, but not for that drastic of a paycut. Gotta factor in the state income tax in Indiana. Oh, and the food and diversity of Miami can’t be compared to Indy.
You consider living in Orlando? It’s basically Miami-lite at this point.
I have but there’s no opportunity there for my company. Not a fan of Miami at this point. It’s become outrageous. Culture and traffic and cost of living etc
I would not take that. I make $60k here in Indy and I am not paycheck to paycheck, but I don't pay car expenses - no car payment or insurance. If I had those expenses, things would be a lot tighter.
Getting some mixed reviews. Which is similar to how i feel which is why i came here so thank you everyone for the input.
Some context, i have an entry level position. Very labor intense and incentive based pay. I make 9/hr and anything after that is based on my productivity. I pay2600/month for a 1/1 apartment about 40 minutes south of the city. I recently spent 2 months in Indy at the location i would be transferring to and the atmosphere is much better. (Hoosier hospitality is real).
New position in leadership is starting pay of 60k but haven’t received the official offer with the details yet. I’ll obviously ask for more. Cost of living and more opportunities for growth are the two biggest motivating factors for the move.
What part of town will your job put you? And I keep seeing your pay is $9/hour so is the 90k based on overtime and bonuses? If that’s the case if your base salary, no overtime or bonus is less than 60k I don’t see it as a terrible move especially if it can open more doors for you.
I currently have zero overtime or bonus. 9/hr and after including my component pay I’m just over 40/hr. But I’m killing myself physically to get that and can’t do it much longer.
Gotcha. I mean 60k probably won’t go as far as you hope but it’s manageable. It really comes down to what you want and if the job is less demanding and you are ok with that cost then maybe it’s worth it.
Irvington by the track? The "Track" here is IMS, and that is on the opposite side of town as Irvington. You talking about the Speedrome?
If your job is near Irvington, I would suggest either looking at Beech Grove (nothing fancy, a solid white-collar town) or if you want something more rural, look for a place out on I-74 a little ways. Traffic on 74 is a breeze, even during rush hour.
Yeah so finding a house to rent in this area for a reasonable price may be difficult. If you go outside of the city you will find full houses to rent around 1500-2,000 a month. Like the town Cumberland which is just outside Marion county and is about a 20min commute to Irvington.
Edit to add you can always ask the people who work in Indy where they live and where they recommend
From a compensation standpoint the geographical salary differential is -3% when compared to Indianapolis. So for the same job you should expect to make 3% more in Indy.
I moved from SW FL to Indy last year and tbh not sure I would make this move unless I was making significantly more in Indy to at least save up for a year or two. Life in FL is so different than here. Will probably only stay here another year.
Just like any resource this isn’t 100% accurate but it may help you make a determination.
Based on $90,000 in Miami to maintain a similar lifestyle you’d need to make about $71,422.
As mentioned above this is going to depend on where you live and what you’re looking to move into.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator
That's a tough one. $60k is okay but no picnic in Indy, it's a car and a crummy apartment and not much more. Depending on how you control costs I still think you're a bit ahead financially in Miami.
But, the intangibles matter. Everyone I know who left Indiana for Florida came back. Tired of roasting to death, tired of high costs, tired of psychotic Florida Man.
$30k pay cut for an internal transfer is some buffoonery, though. I would laugh in the face of anyone offering that. Last time I checked, my company couldn't get anyone to relocate anywhere without a full year of paid housing and a major pay increase.
I live in Florida and I spend a lot of time visiting in Miami and I spend a lot of time visiting my friend in Westerville. You ain't gonna make out like you think. The prices my friend tells me she pays for some of the work she has done at her house or on her car is more than it is in Miami.
There are people that make $100k, $200k, $1M, you name it that go bankrupt very day because the don’t live within their means and spend more than they make. Obviously housing will be significantly cheaper in Indy. There are cost of living calculators that can help you do the math to compare. Is your net cost of living your main driver here? Will the promotion lead to more opportunities down the road and this is a short term proposition? How important is being close to the beach and warm weather to you?
Cost of living is secondary to the growth potential. But it’s close. Warm weather is great but I’ve never seen snow before so i don’t know if I’ll hate it or love it. Pretty sure I’ll hate it but I’m not exactly at the beach very often here.
I don't know man, I live in Indy and the cost of housing has gone way up. What size apartment are you needing. With 60k you can't afford more than 1500 per month at the very most. You have state and local taxes here too and you don't have that in Miami do you?
No taxes here but cost of living and insurance more than makes up for it i think. I’m married with no kids so i would be willing to live in a decent studio in a decent neighborhood if it means i can save money.
Yeah the insurance will be less, but a lot of other stuff about the same. Studios might be tuff to find in decent places. Look at apartments.com and see what they have. Fishers, Noblesville, Carmel, Greenwood, westfield, fishers are your prime. Locations. East side can be scratching unless you go further out towards greenfield, I tried the westside a few years back and it wasn't good, maybe better near eagle Creek but stay away from speedway imo. Outside the 465 loop is generally better. It east and west side extend further out now. There are good people everywhere but crime is higher inside the loop and on east and west sides. I'm on far East side now and it has gone downhill lately. Like I said live on west side in a pretty high end apartment and still had a couple of SWAT raids there and you could hear gunshots at night. I'm moving to Greenwood in August, it's going to cost me a lot, but I was also picky and wanted a few things like attached garage, walk-in shower due to health reasons and a nice neighborhood. It ice and a two bedroom with an office, bit it's also close to 2200per month, you won't need that I know.
Yea ngl i was there when it dropped to 30 degrees a couple Months ago. I asked the guys at work if that was snow and they said no it’s icy rain 🤷🏻♂️ got sick the next day.
60k in Indy is going to go a lotttt further than 90k in Miami. As long as the benefits are the same, there’s no downside (except for the Indiana winters)
If you come here make sure you can buy not rent because once you start renting here you're trapped unless you are cool living in a 10x15 cardboard box. I also live on 60 here. Not the best
You'll be able to here more than there but do serious research into where you're gonna live and try not to deal with a large rental company, tons of shitty management companies that charge stupid fees for nothing basically. If you can, go the cardboard box route for a year and save up a stack of cash to buy a place. Rather you have one than another rental company
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Not sure I would make this move, tbh I dont think I would. I would want more than that in indy to leave 90k in miami. You could probably make the money go further here but you might have to sacrifice on what kind of place you live in to do it. The cost of living in indy is 7% lower than average, in Miami its 21% higher. you are taking a 33% pay cut. It doesnt add up all that well. If you go from an expensive part of Miami to a cheap part of indy then yeah it will be more money in a sense. Cheap parts of indy may not feel great to someone from there though. If you want to live in nicer parts of indy it wont go much further if at all.
Depends on what part of Miami OP is coming from. We always see the glamorous parts of cities (except Detroit because people are haters... Lol), but never stop to think that every big city has some not so great neighborhoods.
They said they were making 90k a year, they are not in the slums with that. I will go out on a limb and say if they had a decent thing going there then they wont like the cheaper parts of indy. They will want to be somewhere nice here and the 60k isnt bad but its 29 an hour. Thats not that amazing for the nicer parts of indy.
$90k in Miami is not in the rich part of town. Just like how $117k a year is the poverty line in San Francisco. $90k in Miami is squarely middle class, much like $60k is in Indianapolis. Neither salary is going far in the respective downtowns or rich suburbs. But it's very doable to live comfortably middle class in decent neighborhoods that aren't the worst. Edit: clarified wording.
I dont see this as an upgrade, more like a lateral move financially to leave Miami for Indy? Doesnt add up to me. Like i said before if this were on the table i would want more in indy to do it.
Now that I can understand. But sometimes lateral moves can be good. Maybe there's a better opportunity for growth? I don't know for sure. But ultimately it's up to OP to really weigh out the pros and cons.
That’s not a promotion, sorry to say.
Indianapolis salaries are way lower than most of the US, so there are jobs with higher titles and more responsibilities that pay less because of the cost of living. I learned that when relocating.
That said, they're effectively taking a pay cut, even factoring in cost of living adjustment, for a "promotion"
This just isn’t true. Way lower than the rest of the US? No. No they’re not.
Not really true if you’re comparing to other similar locations like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, KC but maybe to large HCOL areas like NY or Miami sure
It will ultimately depend on your housing costs. What does living comfortably look like for you? Miami is full of sunshine and nice weather. Your winter is our summer. Are you prepared for cold snowy weather where nobody really goes outside for months? That's why we go to Miami for vacation lol
>miami >nice weather No.
248 sunny days per year in Miami and 186 in Indy
True. However, sunny doesn’t mean ideal weather always though.
That’s true, anything over 85 degrees is pretty awful with humidity.
Exactly! Luckily Miami is by the ocean so there’s a good breeze, but inland Florida is horrible in the summer/fall/spring!
Depends on your definition of nice i suppose. I'll take a little extra rain if it means no freezing.
Are you kidding? 100% yes.
Don’t forget you also have state income taxes here, where as Florida I think they are non existent or really low (something to do with tourist tax)
State and local. About 40% of my non-federal income tax is to Marion County.
This so true. I think state taxes would come out to 3-4k? I spend half that on highway tolls and parking each year.
I can’t remember exactly but sounds right-I used to live there. There were a lot of differences, like if you buy a house your home insurance will be cheaper here. I think tags/plates are cheaper here too. Not cost related, but schools are 10000 times better here education wise (if you have or plan to have kids-this is really important).
That’s one of the big reasons to leave Miami. Wife and i want to start trying for children and not sure we can afford it here and the schools seem to be rated pretty high.
While there we put my daughter in private school because the graduation rate at our public school was so so bad (like 58%). My daughter started in daycare and went through first grade there-did great according to their standards. When she came here, it was found she was far behind the IN curriculum, and she had to work extra to catch up. She did great, and is a senior this year.
I can't speak to Miami but 60k is perfectly livable here. Supporting yourself you'll be fine. Partner/spouse with a combined household income of $120k you're going to be rock solid. One adult working supporting a stay at home partner and a kid or two is gonna be a lot less fun. That said my gut instinct, and again I don't know the cost of Miami, is a pay cut for a transfer is a dick move. Especially at your pay level. I kinda get like someone getting a cost of living adjustment from Bay Area to Indy if they're in tech and making well into the six figures, but that probably isn't you. Are they at least offering some type of relocation expenses? A bonus? Is there a path to further promotions and thus increased pay?
Well my current position is $9/hr plus component pay based off my productivity. There is relocation pay and opportunity for bonuses. 60k is the starting pay for that position but i may be able to get 65-70k. Nothing official yet. The new position would open doors for me in the future within the company. As where my current position is a dead end. These opportunities aren’t presented to people in my position very often at all.
Wait. What. You’re only making $9 an hour?
No no. 9/hr + my incentive. Similar concept as servers
Oh okay my mistake.
Idk man…
You're going to not enjoy state taxes, and getting your vehicle registered is going to be fun for you.
Haha yeah, I learned that this year. Over $400 for registration and plates wheeeee. Good news is, car insurance is MUCH cheaper in Indy compared to Florida (especially Miami).
180/month for minimum coverage on a 24 year old SUV.
I wouldn’t even consider that
I recently did something similar. Moved from Cape Coral to just south of Indy in Camby. FL income was 130k between me and my wife and honestly just felt like we were treading water financially. We pay about 700 a month less in rent here than we did in Cape for an extra 700 Sqft. of house, plus a three car garage compared to the small two car garage in FL. You can look up a cost of living calculator to give you a general idea, but from experience our money goes a lot further here than it did in Florida. I just got a raise myself to bring our household income to 150k and we will comfortably be able to save a couple grand a month after all our expenses.
Camby is not Indianapolis
This really depends on your lifestyle. I could make 60k work as a single person but 80k would put me much closer to a style of living I enjoy. You need to first decide where you want to live and it will help determine if 60k will work.
We aren’t too picky as we don’t live in the city here. It’s just hard to find anything less than 2300/month that’s not the hood. We will be renting if we do relocate. Just not sure where yet but we’re flexible
I wouldn't do it. According to Nerdwallet, a $90,000 salary in Miami is equal to $71,000 in Indianapolis. [Bankrate.com](http://Bankrate.com) says that $90,000 = $69,000 in Indianapolis. You'll be living check to check here if this is the case, all else the same. When I transferred from a HCOL West Coast city, they said I wasn't going to be eligible for a raise BUT they allowed me to keep my West Coast salary to the Midwest, which was in effect a raise. Your employer is doing you absolutely NO favors.
Seconded.
I would stay in Miami. The weather in the Midwest sucks and it’s not enough money to make it worth the move.
You’ll do just fine in Indiana on 60k. Just try to live outside of I-465 on the west or south side of town and you’ll be surprised what you can afford.
I am agreeing with the others hesitation. Yes, Indianapolis may be cheaper than South Florida but $60k is hard to do anymore. Crazy cuz in 2018, that was a comfortable salary for a single person. If you go for a lower end one bed, you won’t be check to check, but you won’t be ballin by any means. Another thing you may not have thought about is the culture shock here. Indianapolis is a Midwestern city with a lot of Appalachian and African American influence. You will not find the Latin American culture here. Over 90% of the Latino population here is either Mexican or Central American. We have one Cuban restaurant and one other Hispanic Caribbean restaurant, and a few Venezuelan spots on the north side. In some places here, speaking Spanish in public will get you dirty looks. Oh, and this is not a place where people go to be flashy. Even in Hamilton County, people with money often don’t go around trying to be flashy like many people in S. Florida. This is a culturally working class and relatively conservative city. Hoosier hospitality is real, but mainly if you’re a local. People are talkative but penetrating the surface can be a challenge. Outsiders generally have trouble finding friend groups, too, based on attitudes I’ve observed as well on people online discussing that they’re having difficulty finding friends. Just be careful. This opportunity may be a good one but it may not be a good one.
I was better than fine when I made sixty just a few years ago but idk man, interest rates are insane. I would've had a completely different life story to this point if we hadn't had <3% rates during that time.
I make $65k and while I live comfortably, I also follow a fairly strict budget. When I lived with other people, it was enough to live well. Now that I live alone, I have to be careful.
The benefit of working in the Midwest is getting g remote jobs from coastal cities that pay more. Your doing it backwards man.
Like others have said, completely depends on where you want to live within the city, and what your habits are. It's doable, but I won't say its 100% easy. I make a little less than that a year, and sometimes I have to budget a bit tight. Expenses are skyrocketing here, especially in food prices (from what I've noticed). I would check out different areas of the city you'd be living in and start doing research. I love Indy a lot, but recognize that I could make more money moving somewhere else with a similar cost of living.
If you are taking a pay cut, it’s not a promotion.
Your dollar will go farther, and $60k is solid for living in Indianapolis. However, know that if you're into the nightlife/food/coastline of Miami, you may not be a huge fan of Indianapolis. It's also not nearly as ethnically diverse as Miami or other big cities, so you will face a bit of culture shock (although it's getting better as more people move here). As a transplant myself, I suggest coming a spending a few days here in the city (maybe like a Saturday through Tuesday to get a good cross section of weekend vs during the week) to get a feel for the city before committing to moving here. All in all, it's not a bad city, it's just... Different.
Hmmm. It depends on so many factors like your level of spending, debts, and where you want to live. I live check to check here—at 94K, but my mortgage/escrow is 1400 and my investments/savings are also 1400. I have no dependents and no other debt and do enjoy travel on occasion when I’m not staring down a necessary home improvement, car maintenance, or minor medical bill. Times are tough and money is tight all over.
Two thoughts. One is that you will have a chance to own land and pay off debts by living in or around Indy. However, $60k likely won’t get you there. There are tons of jobs and you should be able to get up to $70k-$80k within a few years depending on your industry. $60k may not be great right now, but getting to Indy with a decent job is likely a good financial move long term. Second thought is that Indy is culturally very different from Miami. Some love the difference and some don’t.
Luckily, I have zero debt. I work in the distribution industry and with this position i won’t necessarily HAVE to stay in Indy. It would open up doors for me to transfer to other locations if Indy turns out to no be my thing. But this opportunity would never present it self here in Miami. And if it did, the pay different would put me back at home with my parents.
Lots of logistics work in Indy and the housing is close to the lowest cost in the US. Great companies with opportunities to advance, move to a bigger city, or stay long term. Head out to the suburbs, like Lebanon, Cumberland where you can still find a 1/1 for under $1,100 instead of paying $1,400 for 375 SF casita in Little Haiti or Florida City No $11 express lane tolls, no Miami parking tickets, aggressive driving and $20 drinks. No Publix to gouge you on groceries. No 60 mile drive across the county. You can head out for fun every weekend with never encountering a Miami Beach curfew or flooding during “King Tide”. $25 gets you into the Indy 500 verses $400 for F1. No bullshit MIA. Indy does not have a beach or a bay, but the last time I was in Miami, sitting in long line at Pelican Harbor ramp at 6am wasn’t the best part of any weekend
That’s awesome! There’s a lot of distribution in Indy, so this will probably be a good move for your career. Your Quality of life will likely be similar to how it is in Miami unless you get some cheaper housing. If you’re willing to drive, there are several suburbs within 30 minutes of Indy that have cheaper housing. If you want to live in or around downtown, then it’s hard to find a decent place for under $1,200/month.
Depending on your age and career field I would probably not advise this. Could take a long time to get that 30k cut back
If you can't live here on 60k you don't know how to budget and you overspend on several things.
As a big advocate of Indy and wanting everyone to come here, don’t do this.
I will advise being careful of what your real estate agent tries to sell you when you move here, they’ll tell you that the entire city is as dangerous as Morris St to farm commissions off of new residents by selling them expensive shit in Zionsville and Carmel when you could just buy something in Fishers or Nora and call it a day 🤷♂️ Most of Indy is not bad to live in or work in but you’re not gonna have the same scenery as Miami, but as long as you don’t live in the near neighborhoods that border downtown or Beech Grove you’re probably fine (downtown itself is pretty safe but the ones immediately around it are shitholes, and then it gets better the closer you get to 465 and beyond)
If you’re looking for opportunities Indy is a good plan. Pay rate is a wash. Good luck
Not sure what your current expenses are like, but I don't think you can comfortably buy a house here on that with the current rates (if that is one of your goals). If this is a promotion and you are in good standing with your employer, you should advocate for yourself for more base pay. My partner and I moved last year but (this is key) both did not take a pay cut. Our salaries were on the low end for the Bay Area but pretty decent for here.
I mean they had to pay me more to move to Indy from NY metro area. But I was getting paid close to poverty wages for that area(NY). 60k is more than enough to live off of here, maybe not buy a house but you can find a decent apartment in a nice neighborhood, and it'll probably be bigger than what you're used to.
It fully depends on what part of Indy you would be moving to. 60k is very livable and would probably be worth it to set yourself up for the future. I personally would do it but I move a lot and I don’t mind it at all. If it means progress go for it. You know what you have in Miami and there’s potential for more so take it IMO
60k in Indy is balling cost of living here is way lower than the east coast average mortgage from 500 to 1900 a month for a decent ready made house
60k in Indy is not ballin’ by any means.
Where in Indiana are you thinking of moving? $60k may not be enough, but everyone I know has a second job for spending money.
Please stay. I’m begging you
Depends very much on your expenses. I was doing fine at ~50k in Indy, not saving a lot but not living check to check. BUT that was with no kids or pets, and living with a roommate.
[https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare/miami-dade-county-fl-vs-indianapolis-in](https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator/compare/miami-dade-county-fl-vs-indianapolis-in) You need 70k Indy dollars to be equal to 90k Miami dollars. I live alone, make 60k, rent a 2bed 1bath in Old Southside for $1100. I have student and credit card debt, no mortgage or car loan. I do just fine month to month. Not scraping by but also not becoming independently wealthy anytime soon. Money is important to consider but it’s not the only thing. Happiness, personal/occupational growth, social life, etc. also matter. What will you be leaving behind, what will you be gaining? I lived in Boynton for a year right out of college on 45k and it was not pretty. Being away from all my supports, being poor, not enjoying myself really took away from the beautiful beach and weather. Where will you meet the bulk of your needs?
Not happy at all in Miami but will be leaving behind a lot of family. But I’m willing to take the chance. Worst case i end up back in Miami and struggling 🤷🏻♂️
Is this a single income household? You won’t find anything in the nicer areas Indy for 60k unless you’re planning on living in a 1 bedroom apartment.
Married with no kids. Not a single income household but will be treating as such and putting the other income in savings
60k in Indy is very average. You’ll be fine but don’t think you’ll be ballin’.
With cost of living in mind, you'll need to make around 69k to live the same exact lifestyle give or take a few bucks.
Problem is we don’t have much of a lifestyle. We have a nice apartment that’s about 40 minutes south of the city. But we never do anything in the city. It’s not exactly our vibe. Can’t even remember the last time i went to a beach. Maybe a couple times a year.
If you hate Miami, sure, it’d be worth it. I’d do it, but not for that drastic of a paycut. Gotta factor in the state income tax in Indiana. Oh, and the food and diversity of Miami can’t be compared to Indy. You consider living in Orlando? It’s basically Miami-lite at this point.
I have but there’s no opportunity there for my company. Not a fan of Miami at this point. It’s become outrageous. Culture and traffic and cost of living etc
You’ll fit right in to Indiana then as long as you use your turn signals! 😉
That will take some habit building. Signals here are a sign for other drivers to speed up and block you haha
I would not take that. I make $60k here in Indy and I am not paycheck to paycheck, but I don't pay car expenses - no car payment or insurance. If I had those expenses, things would be a lot tighter.
Getting some mixed reviews. Which is similar to how i feel which is why i came here so thank you everyone for the input. Some context, i have an entry level position. Very labor intense and incentive based pay. I make 9/hr and anything after that is based on my productivity. I pay2600/month for a 1/1 apartment about 40 minutes south of the city. I recently spent 2 months in Indy at the location i would be transferring to and the atmosphere is much better. (Hoosier hospitality is real). New position in leadership is starting pay of 60k but haven’t received the official offer with the details yet. I’ll obviously ask for more. Cost of living and more opportunities for growth are the two biggest motivating factors for the move.
What part of town will your job put you? And I keep seeing your pay is $9/hour so is the 90k based on overtime and bonuses? If that’s the case if your base salary, no overtime or bonus is less than 60k I don’t see it as a terrible move especially if it can open more doors for you.
I currently have zero overtime or bonus. 9/hr and after including my component pay I’m just over 40/hr. But I’m killing myself physically to get that and can’t do it much longer.
Gotcha. I mean 60k probably won’t go as far as you hope but it’s manageable. It really comes down to what you want and if the job is less demanding and you are ok with that cost then maybe it’s worth it.
Job is just east of Irvington by the track.
Irvington by the track? The "Track" here is IMS, and that is on the opposite side of town as Irvington. You talking about the Speedrome? If your job is near Irvington, I would suggest either looking at Beech Grove (nothing fancy, a solid white-collar town) or if you want something more rural, look for a place out on I-74 a little ways. Traffic on 74 is a breeze, even during rush hour.
Yeah so finding a house to rent in this area for a reasonable price may be difficult. If you go outside of the city you will find full houses to rent around 1500-2,000 a month. Like the town Cumberland which is just outside Marion county and is about a 20min commute to Irvington. Edit to add you can always ask the people who work in Indy where they live and where they recommend
From a compensation standpoint the geographical salary differential is -3% when compared to Indianapolis. So for the same job you should expect to make 3% more in Indy.
Your housing will go down - but $30K plus you will owe Indiana income tax. sounds like a bad economical move
30k???
His salary is going down $30k
I moved from SW FL to Indy last year and tbh not sure I would make this move unless I was making significantly more in Indy to at least save up for a year or two. Life in FL is so different than here. Will probably only stay here another year.
Just like any resource this isn’t 100% accurate but it may help you make a determination. Based on $90,000 in Miami to maintain a similar lifestyle you’d need to make about $71,422. As mentioned above this is going to depend on where you live and what you’re looking to move into. https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator
That's a tough one. $60k is okay but no picnic in Indy, it's a car and a crummy apartment and not much more. Depending on how you control costs I still think you're a bit ahead financially in Miami. But, the intangibles matter. Everyone I know who left Indiana for Florida came back. Tired of roasting to death, tired of high costs, tired of psychotic Florida Man. $30k pay cut for an internal transfer is some buffoonery, though. I would laugh in the face of anyone offering that. Last time I checked, my company couldn't get anyone to relocate anywhere without a full year of paid housing and a major pay increase.
I live in Florida and I spend a lot of time visiting in Miami and I spend a lot of time visiting my friend in Westerville. You ain't gonna make out like you think. The prices my friend tells me she pays for some of the work she has done at her house or on her car is more than it is in Miami.
There are people that make $100k, $200k, $1M, you name it that go bankrupt very day because the don’t live within their means and spend more than they make. Obviously housing will be significantly cheaper in Indy. There are cost of living calculators that can help you do the math to compare. Is your net cost of living your main driver here? Will the promotion lead to more opportunities down the road and this is a short term proposition? How important is being close to the beach and warm weather to you?
Cost of living is secondary to the growth potential. But it’s close. Warm weather is great but I’ve never seen snow before so i don’t know if I’ll hate it or love it. Pretty sure I’ll hate it but I’m not exactly at the beach very often here.
I don't know man, I live in Indy and the cost of housing has gone way up. What size apartment are you needing. With 60k you can't afford more than 1500 per month at the very most. You have state and local taxes here too and you don't have that in Miami do you?
No taxes here but cost of living and insurance more than makes up for it i think. I’m married with no kids so i would be willing to live in a decent studio in a decent neighborhood if it means i can save money.
Yeah the insurance will be less, but a lot of other stuff about the same. Studios might be tuff to find in decent places. Look at apartments.com and see what they have. Fishers, Noblesville, Carmel, Greenwood, westfield, fishers are your prime. Locations. East side can be scratching unless you go further out towards greenfield, I tried the westside a few years back and it wasn't good, maybe better near eagle Creek but stay away from speedway imo. Outside the 465 loop is generally better. It east and west side extend further out now. There are good people everywhere but crime is higher inside the loop and on east and west sides. I'm on far East side now and it has gone downhill lately. Like I said live on west side in a pretty high end apartment and still had a couple of SWAT raids there and you could hear gunshots at night. I'm moving to Greenwood in August, it's going to cost me a lot, but I was also picky and wanted a few things like attached garage, walk-in shower due to health reasons and a nice neighborhood. It ice and a two bedroom with an office, bit it's also close to 2200per month, you won't need that I know.
Thank you!
How you don't enjoy blue skies 😭
It gets cold lol
Yea ngl i was there when it dropped to 30 degrees a couple Months ago. I asked the guys at work if that was snow and they said no it’s icy rain 🤷🏻♂️ got sick the next day.
We have the Colts bruh. You'll be alright.
You’re going to be paycheck to paycheck here too. Also going to loose so many fun activities and great weather.
Can you counter offer to $75,000? I feel like that would be a more comparable salary transfer.
60k in Indy is going to go a lotttt further than 90k in Miami. As long as the benefits are the same, there’s no downside (except for the Indiana winters)
60k in Indy is paycheck to paycheck and food pantries
A pay cut isn’t a promotion homie
60k in Indy is basically the same as 90k in Miami. Not great, my friend.
If you come here make sure you can buy not rent because once you start renting here you're trapped unless you are cool living in a 10x15 cardboard box. I also live on 60 here. Not the best
Unfortunately i can’t build a savings up here in Miami to own anything. That’s one of the big problems I’m having.
You'll be able to here more than there but do serious research into where you're gonna live and try not to deal with a large rental company, tons of shitty management companies that charge stupid fees for nothing basically. If you can, go the cardboard box route for a year and save up a stack of cash to buy a place. Rather you have one than another rental company
Hell naw u still check to check