Cost of living comparison
compared to
Columbus vs. Detroit Cost of Living Summary
Columbus is 9.0% more expensive than Detroit.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.2% more in Columbus
- Groceries
-
pay 13.9% more in Columbus
- Transportation
-
pay 8.9% less in Columbus
- Housing
-
pay 14.7% more in Columbus
- Childcare
-
pay 28.9% more in Columbus
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 0.4% more in Columbus
- Clothing
-
pay 0.4% less in Columbus
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, groceries, and entertainment and sports in Columbus are more expensive than in Detroit. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Columbus.
Columbus vs. Detroit Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Columbus instead of Detroit, you would:
pay 14.2% more for restaurants
|
Detroit
|
Columbus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$11.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.24
|
|
Detroit vs. Columbus - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.9% more for groceries
|
Detroit
|
Columbus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.38
|
$3.14
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.06
|
$6.54
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.58
|
$3.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.58
|
$3.29
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.25
|
$6.36
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.08
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
|
$2.56
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.80
|
$2.32
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
|
$1.66
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.13
|
$1.37
|
|
Detroit vs. Columbus - Cost of groceries
pay 8.9% less for transportation
|
Detroit
|
Columbus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.40
|
$3.10
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$66.00
|
$62.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$29,946.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.68
|
$13.04
|
|
Detroit vs. Columbus - Cost of transportation
pay 14.7% more for housing
|
Detroit
|
Columbus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$52.14
|
$67.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,450.00
|
$1,570.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,058.17
|
$1,187.46
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$192.03
|
$207.42
|
|
Detroit vs. Columbus - Cost of housing
pay 28.9% more for childcare
|
Detroit
|
Columbus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,294.79
|
$1,100.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,800.00
|
$29,033.33
|
|
Detroit vs. Columbus - Cost of childcare
pay 0.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Detroit
|
Columbus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.75
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.86
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.00
|
$9.59
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.00
|
$46.25
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$12.00
|
|
Detroit vs. Columbus - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.4% less for clothing
|
Detroit
|
Columbus
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.08
|
$55.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.00
|
$39.10
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.00
|
$81.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.00
|
$103.57
|
|
Detroit vs. Columbus - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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