Columbus, OH vs Colorado Springs, CO
Moving from Columbus to Colorado Springs? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $457,300 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Colorado Springs 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 $103,681 in Colorado Springs, CO (+$3,681).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Colorado Springs, CO: 60 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 2,077 sqft in Colorado Springs ($202 vs $241 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Colorado Springs, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $21,204 | +$2,916 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,814 | +$108 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $4,050 | +$1,025 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,788 | −$312 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,800 | +$1,500 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $8,740 | −$971 |
| Total | $39,130 | $43,395 | +$4,265 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Colorado Springs, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 98.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 5.60% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 8.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.58 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $457,300 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | -1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $241 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,767 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 0.41% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |