Scranton, PA vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Scranton to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($227,793 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Scranton 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 Scranton, PA, you'd need about $101,327 in Columbus, OH (+$1,327).
Livability — Scranton, PA: 68 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,840 sqft in Scranton vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($130 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Scranton, PA | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,296 | $18,288 | +$1,992 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $4,706 | −$209 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,025 | −$415 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,100 | −$216 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,300 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $7,898 | $9,711 | +$1,813 |
| Total | $36,065 | $39,130 | +$3,065 |
Side by side
| Metric | Scranton, PA | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.4 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.40% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.31 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $227,793 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.7× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.0% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $130 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,358 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.60% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |