Columbus, Ohio Cost Of Living

A+

11%

Overall NAT. AVG.

6%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

23%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2023; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Columbus	Ohio	National
Cost of living	89	90	100
Goods & Services	94	98	100
Groceries	97	101	100
Health care	87	95	100
Housing	77	73	100
Transportation	90	96	100
Utilities	93	92	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Columbus is 2% lower than the Ohio average
The cost of living in Columbus is 11% lower than the national average
Columbus housing is 23% lower than the national average
Ohio general sales tax is 13% higher than the national average
Ohio state income tax is 100% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$76,593	$6,383	$1,787	$2,298
Renters	$41,628	$3,469	$971	$1,249

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Columbus, OH, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Columbus, the median monthly income is $76,593 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,787 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $41,628, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $971 on monthly rental expenses.

Ohio Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Ohio	5.75%	8%

Ohio Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Ohio	0%	3.99%

Goods & Services

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$20.21	$22.08	8.5%
Beauty Salon	$42.53	$42.88	0.8%
Toothpaste	$1.82	$2.57	29.1%
Shampoo	$0.98	$1.15	14.8%
Movie	$10.97	$11.51	4.7%
Bowling	$18.53	$16.62	11.5%

Groceries

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.48	$4.98	10.1%
Fried Chicken	$1.44	$1.58	9.1%
Milk	$1.93	$2.42	20.1%
Potatoes	$3.47	$3.54	1.9%
Pizza	$10.99	$11.49	4.3%
Beer	$10.18	$10.04	1.4%

Health Care

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$61.70	$117.76	47.6%
Doctor	$118.38	$125.34	5.6%
Dentist	$87.19	$107.52	18.9%
Ibuprofen	$9.47	$10.26	7.7%
Lipitor	$414.94	$459.24	9.6%

Housing

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$160,000.00	$184,700.00	13.4%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,338.08	$1,697.41	21.2%
Apartment Rent	$989.00	$949.00	4.2%

Transportation

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.77	$3.85	2.1%
Tire Balancing	$42.24	$57.01	25.9%

Utilities

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$160.99	$177.27	9.2%
Phone	$184.15	$189.62	2.9%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Urbancrest, OH	1,154	79	20.6%
Whitehall, OH	18,944	82	17.5%
Lincoln Village, OH	9,546	83	17.0%
Darbydale, OH	695	84	16.1%
Carroll, OH	443	84	15.6%
Columbus, OH	889,079	89	11.4%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Fort Worth, TX	892,221	93	7.1%
Jacksonville, FL	902,488	91	9.2%
San Francisco, CA	874,784	203	103.2%
Charlotte, NC	873,570	100	0.1%
Indianapolis, IN	869,387	89	11.1%
Columbus, OH	889,079	89	11.4%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2023; this is the most current data available.