Columbus, OH vs Ann Arbor, MI
Moving from Columbus to Ann Arbor? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $422,945 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Ann Arbor 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, OH, you'd need about $103,720 in Ann Arbor, MI (+$3,720).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Ann Arbor, MI: 61 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 1,951 sqft in Ann Arbor ($202 vs $256 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Ann Arbor, MI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $24,816 | +$6,528 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,703 | −$3 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $4,575 | +$1,550 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $2,316 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,300 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $11,605 | +$1,894 |
| Total | $39,130 | $49,315 | +$10,185 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Ann Arbor, MI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 98.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 4.69% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 2.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.58 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $422,945 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 5.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $256 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $2,068 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 1.56% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.61% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,700 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 21.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |