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State relocation profile · Federal data

Ohio

Cost of living, fair-market rent, wages, safety, schools and childcare for Ohio - every figure straight from federal data.

92.8
Cost index (US=100)
$1,092
2BR rent / mo
$69,736
Median salary
53
Life Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Ohio scores 53/100 (D) on the composite Life Score, with its strongest marks in schools and rent.

53
Life Score · D
92.8
Cost of living (US=100)
$69,736
Median annual salary (BLS)
$1,092
2BR fair-market rent / mo (HUD)

Weakest dimension: environment (4/100). State-level figures are a benchmark, individual metros can diverge sharply, so weigh each dimension against your own priorities.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and five other federal agencies, Ohio has a cost-of-living index of 92.8 (100 = national average), a median 2-bedroom rent of $1,092/mo, and a median salary of $69,736. Its composite Life Score is 53/100 (D), with its strongest marks in schools and rent.

How Ohio ranks nationally

Where Ohio's composite Life Score falls among all 51 US states scored.

Life Score distribution - Ohio marked 0 US states at 0–10 0 0 US states at 10–20 10 0 US states at 20–30 20 5 US states at 30–40 5 30 16 US states at 40–50 16 40 24 US states at 50–60 24 50 6 US states at 60–70 6 60 0 US states at 70–80 70 0 US states at 80–90 80 0 US states at 90–100 90 Life Score →
Top 37% by Life Score Higher Life Score than 63% of all 51 US states.

Ohio has life score of 53. Distribution: 0 US states at 0-10; 0 US states at 10-20; 0 US states at 20-30; 5 US states at 30-40; 16 US states at 40-50; 24 US states at 50-60; 6 US states at 60-70; 0 US states at 70-80; 0 US states at 80-90; 0 US states at 90-100.

Evaluating Ohio as a relocation target starts with the statewide BEA Regional Price Parity of 92.8 - where 100 is the national average, so every point above or below translates to percent-level cost of living difference. Housing costs in Ohio index at 73.0, goods at 93.7, and services at 95.8. HUD Fair Market Rents averaged across Ohio counties put a 2-bedroom at $1,092/month, the figure HUD uses to cap Section 8 voucher payments, so it reflects real submarket rents rather than listings bias.

On the income side, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a statewide median salary of $69,736 with a mean of $72,911 across 5,526,920 tracked jobs. For safety context, FBI UCR data shows a violent crime rate of 293 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1545 per 100K. These state-level reads let you benchmark Ohio against both your origin state and national medians before zooming into specific metros.

Family and education costs often decide a move. Department of Labor data for Ohio shows center-based infant care running $11,791/year, preschool at $9,394/year, and toddler care at $10,686/year. Ohio contains 12 metropolitan statistical areas in our dataset - Akron, Canton-Massillon, Cincinnati and more - each with its own rent, wage and crime profile that can diverge sharply from the statewide average. The composite Life Score of 53/100 (D) folds all seven federal sources into one number for quick comparison.

Key Metrics

Cost of Living (RPP)
92.8
100 = national avg
Avg 2BR Rent (FMR)
$1,092
per month
Median Salary
$69,736
annual
Violent Crime Rate
293
per 100K

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for Ohio (DOL data).

Infant (Center)
$11,791
per year
Toddler (Center)
$10,686
per year
Preschool (Center)
$9,394
per year

Life Score Breakdown

Ohio's composite Life Score is 53/100 (D), computed across 7 dimensions.

Strongest dimension: Schools (90/100)

Ohio - Life Score dimensions

Percentile vs all US states (100 = best in the nation for that dimension)

/100

What this shows Ohio's strongest dimensions are schools and rent; its weakest is environment at 4/100. Each dimension is a federal-data percentile; the composite folds all seven into one comparable figure.

Source BEA · HUD · BLS · FBI · NCES · DOL · EPA As of Federal data, latest available vintage
Cost
68/100
Strong
Wages
42/100
Below average
Rent
70/100
Strong
Crime
50/100
Average
Schools
90/100
Elite
Childcare
36/100
Below average
Environment
4/100
Bottom decile

Metros in Ohio

Explore detailed relocation data for 12 metropolitan areas in Ohio.

Akron, OH Canton-Massillon, OH Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Cleveland, OH Columbus, OH Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH Lima, OH Mansfield, OH Sandusky, OH Springfield, OH Toledo, OH Youngstown-Warren, OH

Relocation Guides

In-depth guides to help with your relocation research.

Cheapest Places With Good Schools

Find metros that balance affordability with school quality.

Cost vs. Quality of Life

How cost of living correlates with livability across US metros.

Best Cities for Remote Workers

Top metros for remote workers optimizing for cost, safety, and lifestyle.

Relocating within or to Ohio?

State figures are the benchmark, drill into a metro before you commit.

  • Ohio has 12 metro areas with rent, wage and crime profiles that diverge from the statewide average, start with Akron. View Akron
  • Put two places on the same scorecard across cost, rent, wages, safety and schools before you decide. Compare metros
  • See how every US metro ranks on the composite LiveAbility Score, then re-weight it to your priorities. Rankings

Cost, rent and wages are state-level reads; safety, schools and childcare use state data where metro-level isn't published. Always verify the latest figures at the official source before you move.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cost of living in Ohio?
Ohio has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 92.8, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 73.0, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom fair market rent is $1,092/month.
What is the median salary in Ohio?
The median salary in Ohio is $69,736 annually (mean: $72,911). Total employment across the state is 5,526,920.
How safe is Ohio?
The violent crime rate in Ohio is 293 per 100,000 population. The property crime rate is 1545 per 100K.
How much does childcare cost in Ohio?
Infant center-based childcare in Ohio averages $11,791 per year. Preschool averages $9,394/year. Toddler care averages $10,686/year. These are state-level averages from the Department of Labor.
How many metro areas are in Ohio?
Ohio has 12 metropolitan statistical areas tracked by PlainRelocate, including Akron, Canton-Massillon, Cincinnati and 9 more.
Is Ohio a good state to relocate to?
Ohio has a Life Score of 53/100 (D), based on 7 dimensions: cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment. This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US states; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Data Sources

  • Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
  • Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
  • Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
  • Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR)
  • Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
  • Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL)
  • Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

This information is for research purposes only.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

Browse all → | Rankings →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Every figure on PlainRelocate is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.