What is the cost of living in Columbus?

Columbus has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 93.0, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 75.5, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,415/month.

What is the median salary in Columbus?

The median salary in Columbus is $64,275 annually (mean: $67,036). Top occupations include Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Retail Salespersons, Machinists.

How safe is Columbus?

The violent crime rate in the Columbus area is 308 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1321 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Columbus?

The state of IN has 1,865 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 15.9:1. Charter schools make up 6.5% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Columbus?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Columbus.

Is Columbus a good place to relocate?

Columbus has a Life Score of 46.6/100 (D), based on 6 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Columbus sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Columbus ranks #199 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Columbus, IN

BEA RPP 93.0 sits mid-pack (#178 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

93.0
Cost index (US=100): $1,415
2BR rent / mo: $64,275
Median salary: 51
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Columbus ranks #199 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (51/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and job market.

#199
of 387 US metros · Near median: 6,924,275
metro-area population: 308
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,865
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: housing (36/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Columbus ranks #199 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 93.0 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,415/mo, median salary $64,275; LiveAbility Score 51/100, strongest in low hazard and job market.

Signature: BEA RPP 93.0 sits mid-pack (#178 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 93.0 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,415/mo.

LiveAbility 51/100 keeps Columbus in the middle third (#199 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Columbus area is 41,930.

Columbus vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

51 Top 52% higher than 48% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Columbus housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Columbus MSA; housing RPP 75.5 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,415/mo.

Studio

$1,233

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,257

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,415

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,697

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,000

/month

Columbus wages and employment

Columbus posts 41,930 total employment with median salary $64,275.

Median Salary

$64,275

Mean Salary

$67,036

Total Employment

41,930

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$46,950
Retail Salespersons	$29,840
Machinists	$61,230
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,290
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$38,510

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Columbus area from NCES.

Schools

1,865

Enrollment

1,033,761

Student:Teacher

15.9:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Columbus's composite Life Score is 46.6/100 (D), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

54/100

Average

Wages

55/100

Above average

Rent

36/100

Below average

Crime

51/100

Average

Schools

55/100

Above average

Environment

15/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Columbus ranks #199 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 51/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (75/100)

Low hazard

75
Job market

55
Cost of living

54
Safety

51
Air quality

51
Schools

45
Climate

44
Housing

36

What this shows Columbus's strongest dimensions are low hazard and job market; its weakest among scored dims is housing at 36/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Columbus to

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara Santa Rosa-Petaluma Savannah Scranton--Wilkes-Barre Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor

Metros near Columbus on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Columbus on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Columbus cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Columbus wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Columbus?

Columbus runs a $64,275 median salary at a 93.0 cost index, ranking #199 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Columbus's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Columbus head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Columbus
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.