New York-Newark-Jersey City → Columbus

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from New York-Newark-Jersey City to Columbus is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 112.6 to 95.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $894/mo.

-$16,151
BLS median salary lower in Columbus
380 to 293
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.4:1 to 17.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,078
DOL infant care lower / 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.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 112.6 → 95.5
Rent Delta: -$894/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 17% lower cost of living
  • + $894/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $16K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 112.6 to 95.5, so each dollar covers more in Columbus (ratio 0.85). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $894/mo ($10,728/yr) from $2,324 in New York-Newark-Jersey City to $1,430 in Columbus.

Columbus leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Columbus sits #304 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). New York-Newark-Jersey City is #344/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $16,151 lower ($87,148 → $70,997). Labor-market size: 9,414,820 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,092,320 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Ohio scores 59 (D, #29/51) vs New York at 46 (F, #46/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Columbus
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 112.6
RPP 95.5
Columbus
Rent (2BR)
$2,324/mo
$1,430/mo
Columbus
Wages
$87,148
$70,997
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Crime
380 per 100K
293 per 100K
Columbus
Schools
11.4:1
17.4:1
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Childcare
$13,869/yr
$11,791/yr
Columbus
Environment
5536 violations
1500 violations
Columbus

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · New York
46 F #46/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
48
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
96
Destination state · Ohio
59 D #29/51
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 New York-Newark-Jersey City to see what you'd need to earn in Columbus to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Columbus
-

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