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CityLedger

Boston vs Columbus

Metro-area medians — Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area vs Columbus, OH Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Boston comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Columbus is about 13% cheaper to live in, while Boston households earn about 42% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Boston.

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.

Boston, MA
$57,564
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$53,169
real value after local prices
Columbus, OH
$59,967
take-home / yr · 20% to tax
$62,813
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Columbus leaves you about $9,645/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.

Measure
Boston
Columbus
Livability (CityLedger)
83/100
63/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
108.3
95.5
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$108,829
$86,874
Median household income
$117,825
$82,938
Median rent
$2,093/mo
$1,359/mo
Median home value
$681,100
$334,800
Unemployment
3.9%
3.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher
53%
40.3%
Average commute
31.9 min
24.1 min
Air quality (median AQI)
43
54
Avg temperature
50°F
54°F

Choose Boston for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Boston profile →

Choose Columbus for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Average commute
Full Columbus profile →

Boston vs Columbus — frequently asked

Is Boston cheaper than Columbus?
Columbus is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 13% below Boston's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Boston or Columbus?
Boston has the higher median household income — $117,825 versus $82,938 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 42% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Boston or Columbus?
A paycheck stretches further in Boston. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $108,829 there versus $86,874 in Columbus.
Which has cheaper rent, Boston or Columbus?
Columbus has cheaper rent — a median of $1,359/mo versus $2,093/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).