Indianapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, and Washington DC: Moving to America's 16th Through 20th Largest Cities

City rankings count people who live inside each city’s legal boundary, not in the wider region around it, and that definition decides which cities land in this group. The Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimates for July 1, 2025, rank Indianapolis 16th, San Francisco 17th, Seattle 18th, and Denver 19th. Washington, DC, counted as its own city of 693,645 people, ranks 22nd; Nashville holds 20th place. Cost figures work the other way: the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures price levels for whole metro areas, so the price columns below describe the region you would be shopping and renting in.

City	Rank, 2025	Population, July 1, 2025	Change since April 2020	Metro price level, 2024 (US = 100)	Metro housing rents, 2024 (US = 100)
Indianapolis	16	901,116	up 13,469	95.7	88.9
San Francisco	17	826,079	down 52,471	115.6	194.7
Seattle	18	784,777	up 47,674	111.1	151.3
Denver	19	740,613	up 25,104	105.8	146.9
Washington, DC	22	693,645	up 4,101	108.9	151.1

Population figures and the 2020 comparison come from that Census table; Indianapolis appears there under the name “Indianapolis city (balance), Indiana” and that is the figure shown. The price figures are BEA’s 2024 regional price parities, from the agency’s February 2026 release as listed in the St. Louis Fed’s metro table; utilities figures mentioned below are BEA’s 2023 values from its December 2024 release, a different year from the table, so treat them as a ranking rather than a bill. The DC row covers the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro across DC, Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia.

Indianapolis: The Lowest Price Level in the Group

The table makes the main Indianapolis point by itself. Its metro priced at 95.7 overall and 88.9 for housing rents in 2024, the only metro in this group below the national level on both measures; the San Francisco metro’s housing figure was more than twice as high. Those are metro-wide averages, not quotes for a particular apartment, so they tell you where rents were lower on average, not what your own rent will be.

If you bring a car, the plates come next. On the state’s FAQ page, the Indiana State Police answer the question of how long a new resident has before buying Indiana license plates with “Sixty Days (IC 9-18-2-1).”

Winter still belongs in the moving calendar. The National Weather Service office in Indianapolis reports that the 1991 to 2020 normals lowered the city’s average annual snowfall from 25.9 inches to 25.5 inches, with the drop concentrated in October and smaller declines in February and December. A move between December and February is worth planning with a backup day for loading.

Indianapolis also grew modestly, by 13,469 residents between 2020 and 2025, and it holds the 16th place that this guide’s title names.

San Francisco: A Shrinking City With the Highest Prices Here

San Francisco is the one city in this group that lost residents. The Census table shows 878,550 people in the April 2020 base and 826,079 on July 1, 2025, a drop of 52,471.

The population drop sits alongside the highest prices in this group. The San Francisco metro priced at 115.6 overall in 2024, the highest overall figure in this table, with housing rents at 194.7; its 2023 utilities figure, 157.5, was also the highest among these five metros. For a move into San Francisco, the price level is the first number to plan around: an overall figure of 115.6 means the general cost of goods and services, not just rent, sat well above the national level.

California’s statewide deposit limit applies here as it does elsewhere in the state: since July 1, 2024, a deposit is generally limited to one month’s rent, with a two-month exception for certain small landlords, according to the Legal Resource Center at California State University, Long Beach. With metro housing rents at nearly twice the national level, that cap sets the ceiling on the deposit you hand over at signing.

Seattle: Reserve the Curb Before Moving Day

In Seattle, the moving truck’s parking spot is a permit question with a lead time. The Seattle Department of Transportation’s Temporary No Parking permit page says these zones restrict regular parking and provide curb space for purposes that include moving vans. In areas without paid parking, the page tells applicants to contact a barricade company, which charges for the service, to place “No Parking” easels “three days (72 hours) in advance of the date(s) the zone is needed” and then to apply online once the signs are in place. If the moving truck itself needs to park in the zone, the page says you may apply for a Restricted Area Parking permit during the same application.

That process puts the curb reservation on your calendar at least three days before the truck arrives, and earlier if the barricade company needs notice. Paid-parking blocks have a separate application path on the same page.

Washington State’s license deadline follows soon after the move. The state Department of Licensing’s Moving to Washington page says, “You have 30 days after you move to Washington (WA) to get your WA driver license, and you’ll need your WA driver license before you can register any vehicles here.” State law sets the same period: RCW 46.20.021 requires new residents to obtain a Washington license “within thirty days from the date they become residents.”

Seattle added 47,674 residents between 2020 and 2025, the largest gain in this group, and its metro priced at 111.1 overall and 151.3 for housing rents in 2024, while its 2023 utilities figure, 85.3, was the lowest of the five metros here.

Denver: Two Different 90-Day Rules

Colorado’s motor vehicle rules hinge on when you become a resident, and the state defines that point. The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles says you are considered a resident if you own or operate a business in Colorado, are employed in Colorado, or reside in Colorado for 90 consecutive days. After establishing residency, the page says, you must transfer your driver’s license within 30 days and title and register your vehicle within 90 days.

Those are two separate uses of the number 90, and they combine in practice: if you move to Denver for a job, residency starts with the job, so the 30-day license clock and the 90-day registration clock start then, not after 90 days of living there. The DMV page adds that county motor vehicle offices handle most vehicle services, including title and registration, so the registration step happens at the county office for where you live.

Denver’s metro priced at 105.8 overall and 146.9 for housing rents in 2024, with utilities at 96.1 in 2023. The city grew by 25,104 residents between 2020 and 2025, though the Census table shows its 2025 estimate slightly below 2024’s.

Washington, DC: Convert the License Before the Car

DC’s vehicle rule comes with a required order. The DC Department of Motor Vehicles says, “If you move to the District, you have 60 calendar days from the date you begin to live in DC to register your vehicle with DC DMV. You must first convert your out-of-state driver license to a District of Columbia driver license or non-driver identification card.” The same page notes that District law requires vehicles housed and operated in the District to be registered there.

In practice, the license conversion is the first DMV visit for a newcomer with a car, and the 60-day registration deadline runs while you wait for it. The same page lists two more requirements for the registration visit. The vehicle must pass DC inspection, which the page says brand new passenger vehicles do not need, and “All vehicles registered in the District must have proof of valid DC insurance.” Ask your insurer for printed proof of a policy that meets that requirement before you go; the page says proof must be printed to be accepted in person. If you live in the Virginia or Maryland part of the metro instead, those states’ rules apply rather than DC’s.

The Washington metro priced at 108.9 overall and 151.1 for housing rents in 2024. DC itself grew by only 4,101 residents between 2020 and 2025, and the Census table shows a dip in 2021 before the later recovery.

Measuring the Five Against Your Move

Use three measures to compare these cities for your own situation. First, the price level that applies to your budget: if most of your spending is rent, read the housing column, where the range runs from 88.9 in Indianapolis to 194.7 in San Francisco; if not, read the overall column, which runs from 95.7 to 115.6. Either way, these are metro averages for 2024, a way to rank the five, not a forecast of your own rent. Second, the first deadline after arrival: 30 days for a license in Washington State and Colorado, 60 days for Indiana plates, and a license conversion before the 60-day vehicle registration in DC, which also needs a DC inspection and DC insurance. Third, the moving-day logistics: in Seattle, the curb reservation has to be in place three days before the truck.