New Haven, CT vs Columbus, OH
Moving from New Haven to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($408,096 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
New Haven 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 New Haven, CT, you'd need about $89,818 in Columbus, OH (−$10,182).
Livability — New Haven, CT: 58 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,328 sqft in New Haven vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($215 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | New Haven, CT | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,232 | $18,288 | −$7,944 |
| Groceries | $4,930 | $4,706 | −$224 |
| Transportation | $3,720 | $3,025 | −$695 |
| Utilities | $3,480 | $2,100 | −$1,380 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,300 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $15,543 | $9,711 | −$5,831 |
| Total | $55,505 | $39,130 | −$16,374 |
Side by side
| Metric | New Haven, CT | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.4 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.36% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.99 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $408,096 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.0× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $215 | $202 |
| Median rent | $2,186 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.4% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.35% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.99% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 2.17% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.07% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 32.2 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 150 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |