Chattanooga, TN vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Chattanooga to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($326,370 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga, TN, you'd need about $102,469 in Columbus, OH (+$2,469).
Livability — Chattanooga, TN: 67 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,064 sqft in Chattanooga vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($163 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Chattanooga, TN | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,360 | $18,288 | −$72 |
| Groceries | $4,704 | $4,706 | +$2 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,025 | −$105 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $2,100 | +$492 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,300 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $4,907 | $9,711 | +$4,805 |
| Total | $34,908 | $39,130 | +$4,222 |
Side by side
| Metric | Chattanooga, TN | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.3 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.49% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.9% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 52 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.25 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $326,370 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.0× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.2% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,530 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 7.6% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.71% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 600 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |