Moving to Ohio from California
What to Expect
Considering a move from California to Ohio? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from California to Ohio, you would find that Ohio is 21.0% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $53,390 in Ohio to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between California and Ohio.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $53,390
To maintain the same standard of living in Ohio
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 19.6% less
Groceries
pay 19.8% less
Transportation
pay 4.1% less
Housing
pay 31.3% less
Childcare
pay 33.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 26.8% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Ohio cost about 35% less than cities in California.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Ohio compared to California.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Ohio performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Ohio performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California generally does better on infrastructure, though Ohio leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
California generally does better on employment & economy, though Ohio leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California performs better than Ohio across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Sacramento | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sacramento | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) |
| Mar | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) |
| Apr | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) |
| May | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) |
| Jun | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) |
| Jul | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) |
| Aug | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) |
| Sep | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) |
| Oct | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) |
| Nov | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Dec | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) | 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Ohio than California?
On average Ohio is about 29% less expensive than California, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Ohio?
Budget about $13,348 for 3 months in Ohio (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Ohio safe?
Ohio performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Ohio compared to California?
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Ohio compared to California?
The average high temperature in Columbus is 76°F, compared to 74°F in Sacramento. Columbus receives around 46.8 in of rainfall per year, while Sacramento gets 18.5 in.
