Roanoke, VA vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Roanoke to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($301,139 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Roanoke 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 Roanoke, VA, you'd need about $103,755 in Columbus, OH (+$3,755).
Livability — Roanoke, VA: 73 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,320 sqft in Roanoke vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($151 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Roanoke, VA | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,836 | $18,288 | +$1,452 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,706 | −$147 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,025 | −$55 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $2,100 | +$228 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,300 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $9,549 | $9,711 | +$163 |
| Total | $37,690 | $39,130 | +$1,440 |
Side by side
| Metric | Roanoke, VA | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.2 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.05% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $301,139 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.8% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $151 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,403 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.81% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |