State comparison
Indiana vs Missouri: which state is better to live in?
Indiana costs a median household about $1,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Missouri, mostly because its income tax takes 3.0% of a median income against 4.5% in Missouri.
Indiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 9 categories
Missouri
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: Indiana vs Missouri
Indiana has a flat 3.05% income tax, which works out to 3.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,200 a year. Missouri has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.7%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,325 a year. Indiana wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in Indiana and 0.88% in Missouri (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,704 against $2,112, so Indiana has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in Indiana and 8.33% in Missouri; Indiana is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,470 a year in Indiana, $7,300 in Missouri. Indiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Indiana's cost of living index is 87 and Missouri's is 86, where 100 is the national average; Missouri is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $240K in Indiana and $240K in Missouri (Zillow, 2024). A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Indiana and $1,100 in Missouri.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Indiana and $2,200 in Missouri, so Indiana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 396 incidents per 100,000 residents in Indiana and 581 in Missouri (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Indiana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 47% lower. Property crime is 1,767 per 100,000 in Indiana against 2,695 in Missouri, again favoring Indiana.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Indiana and 75.3 in Missouri (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.2-year edge for Indiana. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Indiana's health system 42nd of 50 and Missouri's 43rd, so Indiana scores better on care.
8.9% of Indiana residents have no health insurance against 8.2% in Missouri, which favors Missouri. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Indiana's K-12 schools 27th in the country and Missouri's 33rd, 6 places apart in Indiana's favor. Indiana runs a school-choice voucher program; Missouri does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Indiana went to Trump by 19 points and Missouri went to Trump by 19 points.
Indiana has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Missouri has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is illegal in Indiana and legal for adults in Missouri as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Indiana and $12.30 in Missouri.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Indiana (tornado, flood) and high in Missouri (tornado, flood, ice-storm), so Indiana is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 48 in Indiana and 38 in Missouri (under 50 is good), favoring Missouri.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
9
Indiana
4
Missouri
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Indiana or Missouri better to live in?
Indiana wins more of the measures that decide a move. Indiana on taxes ($5,470 a year for a median household against $7,300); Missouri on everyday costs (index 86 against 87); Indiana on safety (396 violent crimes per 100,000 against 581); Indiana on schools (ranked 27th against 33rd).
Which is cheaper, Indiana or Missouri?
Missouri is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 87. The median home is $240K in Indiana and $240K in Missouri (2024). On state and local taxes Indiana saves a median household about $1,800 a year.
Does Indiana or Missouri have lower taxes?
Indiana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,470 a year in Indiana ($2,200 income tax, $1,704 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax) and $7,300 in Missouri ($3,325 income tax, $2,112 property tax on the median home and $1,864 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Indiana or Missouri?
Indiana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 396 per 100,000 residents in Indiana and 581 in Missouri; property crime is 1,767 against 2,695.
Which has better schools, Indiana or Missouri?
Indiana. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Indiana 27th of 50 for K-12 and Missouri 33rd. Indiana also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Indiana or Missouri better for retirees?
Indiana is friendlier to retirees on paper. Indiana does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Missouri taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,704 a year in Indiana and $2,112 in Missouri.