Columbus, OH vs Trenton, NJ
Moving from Columbus to Trenton? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $446,377 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Trenton 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 $108,230 in Trenton, NJ (+$8,230).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Trenton, NJ: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 2,129 sqft in Trenton ($202 vs $235 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Trenton, NJ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $31,476 | +$13,188 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,888 | +$182 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,710 | +$685 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $2,544 | +$444 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,300 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $21,636 | +$11,925 |
| Total | $39,130 | $65,554 | +$26,424 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Trenton, NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $446,377 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | -0.1% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $235 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $2,623 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 13.2% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 6.60% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 2.62% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $13,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 23.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 86 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 23 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |