Columbus, OH vs Manchester, NH
Moving from Columbus to Manchester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $526,340 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Manchester 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 $111,616 in Manchester, NH (+$11,616).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Manchester, NH: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 1,710 sqft in Manchester ($202 vs $292 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Manchester, NH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $25,632 | +$7,344 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,935 | +$229 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $2,955 | −$70 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $2,940 | +$840 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,000 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $6,681 | −$3,030 |
| Total | $39,130 | $44,143 | +$5,013 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Manchester, NH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 105.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 3.69% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 4.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 37 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $6.01 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $526,340 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 5.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 2.2% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $292 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $2,136 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 0.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 1.88% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.80% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 27.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 120 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 81 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 10 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |