Detroit, MI vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Detroit to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($269,080 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Detroit vs Columbus 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 Detroit, MI, you'd need about $96,377 in Columbus, OH (−$3,623).
Livability — Detroit, MI: 62 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,066 sqft in Detroit vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($163 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Detroit, MI | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,000 | $18,288 | +$288 |
| Groceries | $4,896 | $4,706 | −$190 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,025 | −$1,550 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,100 | −$216 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,300 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $9,547 | $9,711 | +$164 |
| Total | $40,634 | $39,130 | −$1,504 |
Side by side
| Metric | Detroit, MI | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.60% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $269,080 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $163 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,500 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.43% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.25 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $74 | $104 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 34.3 | 41.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 45.0 | 28.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 53% | 50% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |