Columbus, OH vs Lexington, KY
Moving from Columbus to Lexington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $327,671 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Lexington 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 $97,750 in Lexington, KY (−$2,250).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Lexington, KY: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 2,899 sqft in Lexington ($202 vs $173 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Lexington, KY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $18,336 | +$48 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,721 | +$15 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,870 | +$845 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,620 | −$480 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,200 | +$900 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $8,073 | −$1,638 |
| Total | $39,130 | $38,820 | −$310 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Lexington, KY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 92.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 4.70% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 3.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.26 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $327,671 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $173 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,528 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 4.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 0.83% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.44% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $250 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 15.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.10 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $70 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $104 | $81 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 260 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 26 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.6 | 48.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 28.2 | 13.4 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 50% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |