Tulsa, OK vs Columbus, OH
Moving from Tulsa to Columbus? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($253,725 → $333,537 median home) and taxes.
Tulsa 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 Tulsa, OK, you'd need about $105,267 in Columbus, OH (+$5,267).
Livability — Tulsa, OK: 71 · Columbus, OH: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,745 sqft in Tulsa vs 2,474 sqft in Columbus ($134 vs $202 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tulsa, OK | Columbus, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,224 | $18,288 | +$2,064 |
| Groceries | $4,667 | $4,706 | +$39 |
| Transportation | $3,575 | $3,025 | −$550 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $2,100 | +$660 |
| Insurance | $4,400 | $1,300 | −$3,100 |
| Taxes | $9,670 | $9,711 | +$42 |
| Total | $39,976 | $39,130 | −$846 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tulsa, OK | Columbus, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.9 | 94.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.14% | 4.20% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.1% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $5.38 |
| Median home price | $253,725 | $333,537 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 1.2% |
| Price per square foot | $134 | $202 |
| Median rent | $1,352 | $1,524 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.0% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.99% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.75% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.94% | 1.46% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,400 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.25 |
| Natural gas / mo | $56 | $78 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $83 | $104 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 94 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 20 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 41.0 | 41.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 8.7 | 28.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 62% | 50% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |