Salem, OR vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Salem to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($454,689 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Salem 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 Salem, OR, you'd need about $92,359 in Columbus, OH (−$7,641).
Livability — Salem, OR: 59 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,869 sqft in Salem vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($268 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Salem, OR | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,536 | $18,288 | −$1,248 |
| Groceries | $5,239 | $4,706 | −$533 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $3,025 | −$655 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $2,100 | +$396 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,300 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $13,135 | $9,711 | −$3,424 |
| Total | $44,194 | $39,130 | −$5,064 |
Side by side
| Metric | Salem, OR | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.5 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.41% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 35 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $454,689 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.3× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.4% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $268 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,628 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |