Columbus, OH vs Lancaster, PA
Moving from Columbus to Lancaster? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $388,207 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Lancaster 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 $102,245 in Lancaster, PA (+$2,245).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Lancaster, PA: 64 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 2,254 sqft in Lancaster ($202 vs $222 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Lancaster, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $18,312 | +$24 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,915 | +$209 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,440 | +$415 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $2,316 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,200 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $9,202 | −$509 |
| Total | $39,130 | $39,385 | +$255 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Lancaster, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 96.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 3.38% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 3.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.51 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $388,207 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 4.6% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $222 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,526 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 1.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $104 | $65 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.6 | 44.1 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 28.2 | 23.1 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 50% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |