Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler → Columbus
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to Columbus is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.3 to 95.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $409/mo.
- -$2,546
- BLS median salary lower in Columbus
- 429 to 293
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.2:1 to 17.4:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $490
- 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
- + 8% lower cost of living
- + $409/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $3K lower median salary
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 103.3 to 95.5, so each dollar covers more in Columbus (ratio 0.92). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $409/mo ($4,908/yr) from $1,839 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler 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). Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler is #357/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,546 lower ($73,543 → $70,997). Labor-market size: 2,342,930 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,092,320 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Arizona 53 (D, #37/51) 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
- 82
- Property tax
- 80
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 22
- 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler 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