Albany, NY vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Albany to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($370,533 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Albany vs Columbus at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Albany, NY, you'd need about $96,387 in Columbus, OH (−$3,613).
Livability — Albany, NY: 58 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,159 sqft in Albany vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($232 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Albany, NY | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,172 | $18,288 | −$1,884 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $4,706 | −$162 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,025 | −$870 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $2,100 | −$1,080 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,300 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $18,849 | $9,711 | −$9,138 |
| Total | $52,564 | $39,130 | −$13,434 |
Side by side
| Metric | Albany, NY | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.97% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.3% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $370,533 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.5% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $232 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,681 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.95% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |