Savannah, GA vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Savannah to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($348,054 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Savannah 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 Savannah, GA, you'd need about $98,667 in Columbus, OH (−$1,333).
Livability — Savannah, GA: 68 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,945 sqft in Savannah vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($170 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Savannah, GA | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,504 | $18,288 | −$3,216 |
| Groceries | $4,815 | $4,706 | −$109 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,025 | −$490 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $2,100 | +$444 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,300 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $10,322 | $9,711 | −$611 |
| Total | $43,912 | $39,130 | −$4,782 |
Side by side
| Metric | Savannah, GA | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.9 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.07% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.7% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.46 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $348,054 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.6% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $170 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,792 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.94% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |