Omaha, NE vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Omaha to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($310,337 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Omaha 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 Omaha, NE, you'd need about $102,330 in Columbus, OH (+$2,330).
Livability — Omaha, NE: 69 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,738 sqft in Omaha vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($183 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Omaha, NE | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,328 | $18,288 | +$960 |
| Groceries | $4,828 | $4,706 | −$122 |
| Transportation | $3,300 | $3,025 | −$275 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $2,100 | +$660 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,300 | −$2,300 |
| Taxes | $11,575 | $9,711 | −$1,863 |
| Total | $42,070 | $39,130 | −$2,940 |
Side by side
| Metric | Omaha, NE | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.5 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.42% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 50 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $310,337 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $183 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,444 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.97% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.20% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.27% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 14 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |