Columbus, OH vs Fayetteville, AR
Moving from Columbus to Fayetteville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $368,497 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Fayetteville 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 $96,640 in Fayetteville, AR (−$3,360).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Fayetteville, AR: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 2,714 sqft in Fayetteville ($202 vs $184 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Fayetteville, AR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $19,128 | +$840 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,655 | −$51 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,405 | +$380 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,524 | −$576 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,800 | +$1,500 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $8,682 | −$1,029 |
| Total | $39,130 | $40,193 | +$1,063 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Fayetteville, AR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 91.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 3.55% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 7.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.20 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $368,497 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 5.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 3.1% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $184 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,594 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 10.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 9.47% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 3.90% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 0.60% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $7,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.02% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 14.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 2.95 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 640 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 93 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |