Trenton, NJ vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Trenton to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($446,377 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Trenton 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 Trenton, NJ, you'd need about $92,396 in Columbus, OH (−$7,604).
Livability — Trenton, NJ: 56 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,129 sqft in Trenton vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($235 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Trenton, NJ | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $31,476 | $18,288 | −$13,188 |
| Groceries | $4,888 | $4,706 | −$182 |
| Transportation | $3,710 | $3,025 | −$685 |
| Utilities | $2,544 | $2,100 | −$444 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,300 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $21,636 | $9,711 | −$11,925 |
| Total | $65,554 | $39,130 | −$26,424 |
Side by side
| Metric | Trenton, NJ | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.4 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.12% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.8% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $446,377 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.1% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $202 |
| Median rent | $2,623 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 13.2% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.60% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 2.62% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 23.5 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 23 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |