Lancaster, PA vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Lancaster to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($388,207 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Lancaster 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 Lancaster, PA, you'd need about $97,805 in Columbus, OH (−$2,195).
Livability — Lancaster, PA: 64 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,254 sqft in Lancaster vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($222 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lancaster, PA | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,312 | $18,288 | −$24 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $4,706 | −$209 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,025 | −$415 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,100 | −$216 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,300 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $9,202 | $9,711 | +$509 |
| Total | $39,385 | $39,130 | −$255 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lancaster, PA | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 96.8 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.38% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.1% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.51 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $388,207 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.6% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $222 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,526 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.48% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.25 |
| Natural gas / mo | $82 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $65 | $104 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 44.1 | 41.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 23.1 | 28.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 50% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |