Akron vs Dayton
Metro-area medians — Akron, OH Metro Area vs Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH Metro Area — not the cities proper.
Akron comes out ahead, winning 3 of the 5 clearly-decided measures.
Akron and Dayton are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.
For your salary & household
Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.
On $75,000 for just you, Dayton leaves you about $468/yr better off after tax and local prices.
Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.
Akron vs Dayton — frequently asked
- Is Akron cheaper than Dayton?
- They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Akron and Dayton metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
- Which has higher household income, Akron or Dayton?
- Household incomes are similar — $71,364 in the Akron metro versus $72,711 in Dayton (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
- Does a paycheck go further in Akron or Dayton?
- It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($76,431 versus $78,442).
- Which has cheaper rent, Akron or Dayton?
- Akron has cheaper rent — a median of $1,059/mo versus $1,119/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).