Columbus, OH vs Memphis, TN
Moving from Columbus to Memphis? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $247,229 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Memphis 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 $97,165 in Memphis, TN (−$2,835).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Memphis, TN: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 4,045 sqft in Memphis ($202 vs $124 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Memphis, TN | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $17,292 | −$996 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,715 | +$9 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,130 | +$105 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,608 | −$492 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $2,200 | +$900 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $5,158 | −$4,553 |
| Total | $39,130 | $34,103 | −$5,027 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Memphis, TN |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 91.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 6.84% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | -0.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.23 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $247,229 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 0.1% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $124 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,441 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 7.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 9.55% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 0.87% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $9,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $350 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 14.9 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 2.95 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $62 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $104 | $121 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $80 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 600 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 30 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.6 | 54.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 28.2 | 2.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 50% | 64% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |