Cincinnati, OH vs Greenville, SC
Moving from Cincinnati to Greenville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($311,270 → $315,285 median home) and taxes.
Cincinnati vs Greenville 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 Cincinnati, OH, you'd need about $98,780 in Greenville, SC (−$1,220).
Livability — Cincinnati, OH: 70 · Greenville, SC: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,651 sqft in Cincinnati vs 3,173 sqft in Greenville ($189 vs $158 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cincinnati, OH | Greenville, SC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,900 | $18,528 | −$372 |
| Groceries | $4,718 | $4,797 | +$80 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,465 | +$440 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,848 | −$252 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,000 | +$700 |
| Taxes | $8,820 | $10,173 | +$1,353 |
| Total | $38,863 | $40,811 | +$1,949 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cincinnati, OH | Greenville, SC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.2 | 93.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.37% | 4.50% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.5% | 6.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.36 | $5.30 |
| Median home price | $311,270 | $315,285 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.1× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 2.0% |
| Price per square foot | $189 | $158 |
| Median rent | $1,575 | $1,544 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 7.44% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 6.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.53% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $8,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.33% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 17.1 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.05 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 530 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 36 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |