Columbus, OH vs Reno, NV
Moving from Columbus to Reno? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $570,546 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Reno 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 $103,588 in Reno, NV (+$3,588).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Reno, NV: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 1,665 sqft in Reno ($202 vs $300 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Reno, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $23,736 | +$5,448 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,841 | +$135 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $4,740 | +$1,715 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,548 | −$552 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,300 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $5,060 | −$4,651 |
| Total | $39,130 | $41,225 | +$2,095 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Reno, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 98.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 5.01% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 9.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 50 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.58 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $570,546 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 0.0% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $300 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,978 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 0.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |
Ad · affiliate links