Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Columbus, GA
Median pay for heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers in Columbus, GA: $49,220/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $33,800 – $72,490 · about 1,210 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($51,330) by −$2,110 (-4%).
What it's really worth in Columbus
With Columbus's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $49,220 has the buying power of about $55,402 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $55,720 · median home $209,527 · median rent $1,278/mo.
How Columbus ranks for this job
On raw pay, Columbus, GA is 132nd of the 187 metros we hold heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers wages for. Once Columbus's cost of living is applied, it ranks 75th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Columbus is one of the places where heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Columbus
A median home in Columbus, GA costs $209,527 — about 4.3× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,278/mo works out at 31% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where heavy & tractor-trailer truck drivers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Columbus.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Columbus | Rent vs Columbus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | $89,760 | +82% | 1.1× |
| Seattle, WA | $63,460 | +29% | 1.7× |
| San Francisco, CA | $62,750 | +27% | 2.5× |
| San Jose, CA | $62,560 | +27% | 2.8× |
Same job elsewhere in GA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Columbus | Rent vs Columbus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | $57,230 | +16% | 1.4× |
| Savannah, GA | $50,420 | +2% | 1.4× |
| Augusta, GA | $50,130 | +2% | 1.2× |
Staying in GA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Columbus
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.