Reno, NV vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Reno to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($570,546 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Reno 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 Reno, NV, you'd need about $96,537 in Columbus, OH (−$3,463).
Livability — Reno, NV: 62 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,665 sqft in Reno vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($300 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Reno, NV | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,736 | $18,288 | −$5,448 |
| Groceries | $4,841 | $4,706 | −$135 |
| Transportation | $4,740 | $3,025 | −$1,715 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $2,100 | +$552 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,300 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $5,060 | $9,711 | +$4,652 |
| Total | $41,225 | $39,130 | −$2,095 |
Side by side
| Metric | Reno, NV | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.0 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.01% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 9.2% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 50 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.58 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $570,546 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.0× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $300 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,978 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.23% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.48% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.12% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $500 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.3 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.20 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 95 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |