Memphis → Columbus
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Memphis to Columbus is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 92.2 to 95.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $156/mo.
- +$5,895
- BLS median salary higher in Columbus
- 602 to 293
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.3:1 to 18.2:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $3,931
- 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
- + $6K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
Cons of Moving
- - 3% higher cost of living
- - $156/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 92.2 to 95.5 (ratio 1.04), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $156/mo ($1,872/yr) from $1,274 in Memphis to $1,430 in Columbus.
Memphis still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Columbus sits #304 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Memphis is #300/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,895 higher ($65,102 → $70,997). Labor-market size: 597,090 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,092,320 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Tennessee 66 (C, #17/51) vs Ohio 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
- 100
- Property tax
- 80
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 36
- 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 Memphis 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