Cincinnati, OH vs Roanoke, VA
Moving from Cincinnati to Roanoke? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($311,270 → $301,139 median home) and taxes.
Cincinnati vs Roanoke 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 $96,796 in Roanoke, VA (−$3,204).
Livability — Cincinnati, OH: 70 · Roanoke, VA: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,651 sqft in Cincinnati vs 3,320 sqft in Roanoke ($189 vs $151 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cincinnati, OH | Roanoke, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,900 | $16,836 | −$2,064 |
| Groceries | $4,718 | $4,853 | +$136 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,080 | +$55 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,872 | −$228 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,500 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $8,820 | $9,549 | +$729 |
| Total | $38,863 | $37,690 | −$1,173 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cincinnati, OH | Roanoke, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.2 | 91.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.37% | 4.05% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.5% | 0.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.36 | $5.19 |
| Median home price | $311,270 | $301,139 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.1× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 3.8% |
| Price per square foot | $189 | $151 |
| Median rent | $1,575 | $1,403 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 0.81% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $104 | $103 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 28 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 45.3 | 45.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 23.3 | 8.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 50% | 57% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |