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Some state has to be 38th. Where does Indiana rank in Cost of Living?
Do quality of living next
Jay, Nate knows a headline like that will bring his Flock out to scream “Indiana is 40 years behind!” Just for fun, US News& World Report has Indiana ranked #19 for cost of living, which would align well with teacher pay, but the NUVO Business Journal is not a place for actual business dialogue
Indiana consistently ranks among the most affordable states in the U.S., generally placing within the top 10 lowest cost of living states. As of early 2026, it is ranked 18th most affordable by residents, while analysis of MERIC data shows it as having the 8th lowest cost of living, featuring housing costs roughly 24% lower than the national average.
Purdue Exponent
Chuck, that same publication has Indiana ranked as the #33 overall “best state” with a #19 ranking in education, #40 in economy, #35 in healthcare, and dead last #50 in natural environment. It might be not cost a lot of money to live here, but we pay a cost in many other way.
Indiana teachers are doing more with less. Imagine if this state invested in things we rank poorly in. We’d see more talent flood into the state and reverse the brain drain that afflicted us for decades. Maybe we could even provide supplies to our teachers instead of forcing them to make GoFundMe’s to afford pencils for their students. Unfortunately, our Republican supermajority’s policy creativity only stretches as far as lowering taxes and culture war grievances can take them.
Lower cost of living compared to the national average or median doesn’t mean anything by itself. Incomes are part of the equation.
If Hoosier living cost is (say) 94% of the national average but incomes are less than 94% of the national average, we Hoosiers have a lower economic standard of living than the average American.
And we already know we have dirtier air and water and worse roads…
Not all places in Indiana are “affordable,” at least when it comes to housing. In this category, the collar counties surrounding Indianapolis are seeing purchase prices rapidly increasing for new build homes. The same is true in the city, where new builds can be 50-100 percent the cost of existing homes.
However, in most of Indiana’s 92 counties, the cost of living is dirt cheap. But the towns in those counties lack the amenities that today’s college graduates (including those with teaching degrees) seek. Regardless, teachers everywhere are under-paid and under-appreciated.
No State leader should be proud of a 38 out of 50 State ranking. Especially when in comes to educating future Hoosiers. Our economy depends upon it. Agree with Brent B in that teachers from Pre-K to K12 are under appreciated and certainly under paid.