Columbus, GA vs Jacksonville, FL
Moving from Columbus to Jacksonville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($209,527 → $352,994 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Jacksonville 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 Columbus, GA, you'd need about $112,161 in Jacksonville, FL (+$12,161).
Livability — Columbus, GA: 76 · Jacksonville, FL: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,892 sqft in Columbus vs 2,621 sqft in Jacksonville ($102 vs $191 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, GA | Jacksonville, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,336 | $20,412 | +$5,076 |
| Groceries | $4,816 | $4,813 | −$2 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $4,800 | +$1,285 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,656 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $4,200 | +$2,100 |
| Taxes | $9,327 | $4,713 | −$4,614 |
| Total | $36,750 | $40,594 | +$3,845 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, GA | Jacksonville, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 88.8 | 99.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.87% | 4.54% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 11.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.06 | $5.67 |
| Median home price | $209,527 | $352,994 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $102 | $191 |
| Median rent | $1,278 | $1,701 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.79% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |