Cost of Living: Cleveland, OH vs Columbus, OH

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,356/mo in Cleveland, OH versus $4,356/mo in Columbus, OH. In the model, rent is about 21.57% of gross in Cleveland, OH versus 17.83% in Columbus, OH, so Columbus, OH tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Cleveland, OH
$4,356/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Columbus, OH
$4,356/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in Cleveland, OH
21.57%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Columbus, OH
17.83%
COLI tier: lower-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Cleveland, OH and Columbus, OH.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Cleveland, OH
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Columbus, OH
  • Lower home prices: Columbus, OH
  • Higher median household income: Cleveland, OH

Cost of Living Index

Cleveland, OH: 78.6 (U.S. = 100) · Columbus, OH: 88.9 (U.S. = 100)

Cleveland, OH has a lower cost-of-living index than Columbus, OH, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Cleveland, OH: $1,406/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Columbus, OH: $1,163/mo

Median rent in Cleveland, OH is $243/mo higher than in Columbus, OH.

Median Home Price

Cleveland, OH: $336,100 · Columbus, OH: $234,500

Median home price in Cleveland, OH is $101,600 higher than in Columbus, OH.

Median Household Income

Cleveland, OH: $110,101 · Columbus, OH: $65,327

Cleveland, OH has a higher median household income than Columbus, OH by $44,774.

Cleveland, OH overview · Columbus, OH overview · Popular comparisons