Sioux Falls, SD vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Sioux Falls to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($342,936 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Sioux Falls 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 Sioux Falls, SD, you'd need about $105,038 in Columbus, OH (+$5,038).
Livability — Sioux Falls, SD: 69 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,479 sqft in Sioux Falls vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($202 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Sioux Falls, SD | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,708 | $18,288 | +$2,580 |
| Groceries | $4,870 | $4,706 | −$163 |
| Transportation | $3,200 | $3,025 | −$175 |
| Utilities | $1,572 | $2,100 | +$528 |
| Insurance | $2,400 | $1,300 | −$1,100 |
| Taxes | $5,263 | $9,711 | +$4,448 |
| Total | $33,013 | $39,130 | +$6,118 |
Side by side
| Metric | Sioux Falls, SD | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.1 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.15% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.9% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 34 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.13 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $342,936 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.5% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,309 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.4% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.40% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.18% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $8,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 19 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.5 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |