Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell → Columbus
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell to Columbus is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.1 to 95.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $390/mo.
- -$1,110
- BLS median salary lower in Columbus
- 300 to 293
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 13.8:1 to 17.4:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $5,200
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Columbus
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + 5% lower cost of living
- + $390/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 100.1 to 95.5 (ratio 0.95), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $390/mo ($4,680/yr) from $1,820 in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell to $1,430 in Columbus.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Columbus sits #304 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell is #277/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,110 lower ($72,107 → $70,997). Labor-market size: 2,837,930 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,092,320 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Georgia scores 68 (C, #10/51) vs Ohio at 59 (D, #29/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 88
- Property tax
- 74
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 48
- Income tax
- 72
- Property tax
- 57
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 10
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell to see what you'd need to earn in Columbus to maintain the same purchasing power.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026