Columbus, OH vs Gulfport, MS
Moving from Columbus to Gulfport? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $224,666 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Gulfport 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 $93,923 in Gulfport, MS (−$6,077).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Gulfport, MS: 77 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 4,562 sqft in Gulfport ($202 vs $110 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Gulfport, MS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $17,076 | −$1,212 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,722 | +$16 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,410 | +$385 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,812 | −$288 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $3,100 | +$1,800 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $8,466 | −$1,245 |
| Total | $39,130 | $38,586 | −$544 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Gulfport, MS |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 88.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 8.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 7.4% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.06 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $224,666 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 0.9% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $110 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,423 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 7.07% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 4.70% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 0.73% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $6,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.42% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 26 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $3,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 16.8 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 2.90 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 280 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |