Cost Of Living in Columbus, TX

Get 300+ Local Insights for Any Address in Columbus, TX

Get Access to 300+ Local Data Points

A+

6%

Overall NAT. AVG.

1%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

17%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; 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	Texas	National
Cost of living	94	92	100
Goods & Services	101	96	100
Groceries	100	96	100
Health care	94	94	100
Housing	83	83	100
Transportation	90	92	100
Utilities	103	104	100

Does this Area Fit Your Budget?

Know the community before you call it home
Compare multiple areas side by side
Access over 300 data points for any address

GET REPORT →

Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Columbus is 2% higher than the Texas average
The cost of living in Columbus is 6% lower than the national average
Columbus housing is 17% lower than the national average
Texas general sales tax is 22% higher than the national average
Texas state income tax is 100% lower than the national average

Most Affordable Places to Live in and Around Columbus

See all the best places to live around Columbus

Compare Columbus, TX Cost of Living

Compare Neighborhoods & Addresses

Why stop at city-to-city? With Local Insights, you can compare neighborhoods, zip codes, or even exact addresses. Access 300+ hyperlocal data points—from schools and crime to housing and amenities—to see which area is the better fit.

UNLOCK FULL COMPARISON →

Write a review to give others more information about this area.

See all Columbus poll results

The best places in Texas

Here are the best places to live in Texas

See the best places to live in Columbus

These are the largest cities in Texas

Safest Cities In The US

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in

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	$60,291	$5,024	$1,407	$1,809
Renters	$32,159	$2,680	$750	$965

The percentage of monthly income spent on housing related expenses can help predict the affordability of housing in Columbus, TX, as well as what the overall cost of living might be. Generally, a good rule to follow is that the debt-to-income (DTI) level you want to maintain is 28 percent or less of your income on your rent or mortgage payments and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses and debts. In Columbus, homeowners have a median income of $60,291. Using that number, a maximum of $1,407 per month should be allocated to housing expenses. For those who are renting instead of owning, the median income is $32,159, which means there is a maximum of $750 to be spent on the costs of renting a home or apartment.

Texas Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Texas	6.25%	8.25%

Texas Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Texas	0%	0%

Goods & Services

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$20.33	$24.26	16.2%
Beauty Salon	$47.38	$45.56	4.0%
Toothpaste	$3.48	$3.70	6.1%
Shampoo	$1.22	$1.28	5.0%
Movie	$12.19	$12.13	0.4%
Bowling	$15.83	$18.00	12.0%

Groceries

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.25	$5.84	10.1%
Fried Chicken	$1.61	$1.57	2.4%
Milk	$4.55	$4.67	2.5%
Potatoes	$5.00	$4.93	1.4%
Pizza	$11.82	$12.09	2.2%
Beer	$10.38	$10.41	0.3%

Health Care

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$125.98	$125.68	0.2%
Doctor	$90.89	$135.78	33.1%
Dentist	$108.10	$113.29	4.6%
Ibuprofen	$10.46	$10.65	1.8%
Lipitor	$503.40	$468.60	7.4%

Housing

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$163,500.00	$184,700.00	11.5%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,055.86	$2,346.69	12.4%
Apartment Rent	$680.00	$949.00	28.3%

Transportation

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.14	$3.46	9.1%
Tire Balancing	$56.62	$59.92	5.5%

Utilities

Item	Columbus	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$233.43	$193.99	20.3%
Phone	$208.71	$192.25	8.6%

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.
Glidden, TX	547	99	1.1%
Eagle Lake, TX	3,742	83	16.8%
Weimar, TX	2,838	82	17.8%
Fayetteville, TX	283	93	6.6%
Columbus, TX	3,645	94	5.7%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Gaylord, MI	3,644	85	14.6%
Morris-Turnberry, ON	3,644	n/a
Mono Vista, CA	3,646	122	22.3%
Vandenberg AFB, CA	3,646	146	45.9%
Blythewood, SC	3,646	113	13.4%
Columbus, TX	3,645	94	5.7%