What is the cost of living in Columbus?

Columbus has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 95.5, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 87.9, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,430/month.

What is the median salary in Columbus?

The median salary in Columbus is $70,997 annually (mean: $74,588). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Stockers and Order Fillers.

How safe is Columbus?

The violent crime rate in the Columbus area is 293 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1545 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Columbus?

The state of OH has 3,586 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 18.2:1. Charter schools make up 9.3% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Columbus?

Infant center-based childcare in the Columbus area averages $11,791 per year. Preschool averages $9,394/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Columbus a good place to relocate?

Columbus has a Life Score of 49.4/100 (D), based on 7 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 #304 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, OH

LiveAbility 42.6/100 places Columbus #304 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

95.5
Cost index (US=100): $1,430
2BR rent / mo: $70,997
Median salary: 42.6
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Columbus ranks #304 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (42.6/100), with its strongest marks in job market and safety.

#304
of 387 US metros · Below median: 11,883,304
metro-area population: 293
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 3,586
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: air quality (9/100). 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 #304 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 95.5 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,430/mo, median salary $70,997; LiveAbility Score 42.6/100, strongest in job market and safety.

Signature: LiveAbility 42.6/100 places Columbus #304 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 95.5 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,430/mo.

LiveAbility 42.6/100 puts Columbus in the bottom third (#304 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Columbus area is 1,092,320.

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)

43 Top 79% higher than 21% 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 87.9 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,430/mo.

Studio

$1,111

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,194

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,430

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,715

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,927

/month

Columbus wages and employment

Columbus posts 1,092,320 total employment with median salary $70,997.

Median Salary

$70,997

Mean Salary

$74,588

Total Employment

1,092,320

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,670
Registered Nurses	$83,900
Stockers and Order Fillers	$39,040
General and Operations Managers	$102,590
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$34,880

Schools & Education

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

Schools

3,586

Enrollment

1,675,943

Student:Teacher

18.2:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Columbus area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$11,791

per year

Toddler (Center)

$10,686

per year

Preschool (Center)

$9,394

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Columbus's composite Life Score is 49.4/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

41/100

Below average

Wages

77/100

Strong

Rent

35/100

Below average

Crime

58/100

Above average

Schools

81/100

Elite

Childcare

32/100

Weak

Environment

5/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Columbus ranks #304 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 42.6/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Job market (77/100)

Job market

77
Safety

58
Low hazard

52
Cost of living

41
Climate

37
Housing

36
Schools

19
Air quality

9

What this shows Columbus's strongest dimensions are job market and safety; its weakest among scored dims is air quality at 9/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Columbus to

Manhattan Mankato Mansfield McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Medford Memphis

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 $70,997 median salary at a 95.5 cost index, ranking #304 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.