Jacksonville, FL vs Columbus, GA
Moving from Jacksonville to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($352,994 → $209,527 median home) and taxes.
Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville, FL, you'd need about $89,158 in Columbus, GA (−$10,842).
Livability — Jacksonville, FL: 69 · Columbus, GA: 76 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,621 sqft in Jacksonville vs 4,892 sqft in Columbus ($191 vs $102 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Jacksonville, FL | Columbus, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,412 | $15,336 | −$5,076 |
| Groceries | $4,813 | $4,816 | +$2 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $3,515 | −$1,285 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,656 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $2,100 | −$2,100 |
| Taxes | $4,713 | $9,327 | +$4,614 |
| Total | $40,594 | $36,750 | −$3,845 |
Side by side
| Metric | Jacksonville, FL | Columbus, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 99.6 | 88.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.54% | 6.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 11.4% | 5.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.67 | $5.06 |
| Median home price | $352,994 | $209,527 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 3.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $191 | $102 |
| Median rent | $1,701 | $1,278 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.02% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 0.80% | 0.79% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,200 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,400 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |