Peoria, IL vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Peoria to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($172,742 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Peoria 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 Peoria, IL, you'd need about $106,525 in Columbus, OH (+$6,525).
Livability — Peoria, IL: 69 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,921 sqft in Peoria vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($102 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Peoria, IL | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,148 | $18,288 | +$4,140 |
| Groceries | $4,655 | $4,706 | +$51 |
| Transportation | $3,550 | $3,025 | −$525 |
| Utilities | $2,208 | $2,100 | −$108 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,300 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $11,370 | $9,711 | −$1,659 |
| Total | $37,831 | $39,130 | +$1,299 |
Side by side
| Metric | Peoria, IL | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 88.8 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.30% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.5% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.05 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $172,742 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 2.6× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 7.7% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $102 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,179 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.9% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.86% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.95% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 2.19% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $14,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 20.5 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 15 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |