Manchester, NH vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Manchester to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($526,340 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Manchester 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 Manchester, NH, you'd need about $89,593 in Columbus, OH (−$10,407).
Livability — Manchester, NH: 62 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,710 sqft in Manchester vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($292 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Manchester, NH | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,632 | $18,288 | −$7,344 |
| Groceries | $4,935 | $4,706 | −$229 |
| Transportation | $2,955 | $3,025 | +$70 |
| Utilities | $2,940 | $2,100 | −$840 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,300 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $6,681 | $9,711 | +$3,030 |
| Total | $44,143 | $39,130 | −$5,013 |
Side by side
| Metric | Manchester, NH | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.6 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.69% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.01 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $526,340 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $292 | $202 |
| Median rent | $2,136 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.88% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.80% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.2 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 120 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 81 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |