Tucson, AZ vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Tucson to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($343,580 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Tucson 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 Tucson, AZ, you'd need about $99,682 in Columbus, OH (−$318).
Livability — Tucson, AZ: 70 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,693 sqft in Tucson vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($186 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tucson, AZ | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,676 | $18,288 | +$612 |
| Groceries | $4,841 | $4,706 | −$134 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,025 | −$935 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $2,100 | +$432 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,300 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $7,594 | $9,711 | +$2,117 |
| Total | $37,539 | $39,130 | +$1,592 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tucson, AZ | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.9 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.87% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.5% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 56 | 54 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $343,580 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.3× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.1% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $186 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,473 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.84% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |