Columbus, OH vs Provo, UT
Moving from Columbus to Provo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $546,641 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Provo 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 $101,174 in Provo, UT (+$1,174).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Provo, UT: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 1,921 sqft in Provo ($202 vs $260 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Provo, UT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $21,900 | +$3,612 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,736 | +$30 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,450 | +$425 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,440 | −$660 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,200 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $9,160 | −$551 |
| Total | $39,130 | $41,885 | +$2,755 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Provo, UT |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 95.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 3.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 15.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.45 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $546,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 6.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $260 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,825 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 7.19% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 4.65% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 0.45% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $450 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 13.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $52 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $104 | $187 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 260 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 24 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.6 | 15.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 28.2 | 51.9 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 50% | 66% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |