Moving to Ohio from Louisiana
What to Expect
Considering a move from Louisiana to Ohio? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Louisiana to Ohio, you would find that Ohio is 2.4% cheaper than Louisiana. A $75,000 salary in Louisiana would need to be roughly $73,200 in Ohio to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Louisiana and Ohio.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,200
To maintain the same standard of living in Ohio
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 10.4% less
Groceries
pay 6.5% less
Transportation
pay 16.2% more
Housing
pay 8.0% less
Childcare
pay 26.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.5% 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 11% less than cities in Louisiana.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Ohio compared to Louisiana.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Ohio performs significantly better than Louisiana 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
Ohio performs significantly better than Louisiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Ohio generally does better on what about housing?, though Louisiana leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Ohio performs significantly better than Louisiana across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Ohio generally does better on employment & economy, though Louisiana leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Ohio performs significantly better than Louisiana across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Baton Rouge | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 67°/45°F (19°/7°C) | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 85°/64°F (30°/18°C) | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 91°/72°F (33°/22°C) | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 72°/50°F (22°/10°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Baton Rouge | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 66°/44°F (18.7°/6.9°C) | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) |
| Mar | 73°/50°F (22.6°/10.2°C) | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) |
| Apr | 79°/57°F (26.3°/13.8°C) | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) |
| May | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.4°C) | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) |
| Jun | 91°/71°F (32.7°/21.9°C) | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) |
| Jul | 92°/74°F (33.4°/23.2°C) | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) |
| Aug | 92°/73°F (33.6°/23.0°C) | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) |
| Sep | 89°/69°F (31.5°/20.3°C) | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) |
| Oct | 81°/58°F (27.1°/14.4°C) | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) |
| Nov | 72°/49°F (22.2°/9.4°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Dec | 64°/43°F (17.8°/5.9°C) | 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Ohio than Louisiana?
Ohio and Louisiana are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.
How much money do I need to move to Ohio?
Budget about $18,300 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 Louisiana across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Ohio compared to Louisiana?
Ohio performs significantly better than Louisiana across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Ohio compared to Louisiana?
The average high temperature in Columbus is 76°F, compared to 79°F in Baton Rouge. Columbus receives around 46.8 in of rainfall per year, while Baton Rouge gets 60.6 in.
