Moving to Ohio from Minnesota
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Minnesota to Ohio — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Minnesota to Ohio, you would find that Ohio is 7.8% cheaper than Minnesota. A $75,000 salary in Minnesota would need to be roughly $67,789 in Ohio to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Columbus averages 76°F vs 56°F in Saint Paul, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Minnesota to Ohio.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $67,789
To maintain the same standard of living in Ohio
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 9.7% less
Groceries
pay 12.4% less
Transportation
pay 6.0% more
Housing
pay 4.8% less
Childcare
pay 12.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.3% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Minnesota and Ohio stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Minnesota performs better than Ohio 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
Minnesota performs better than Ohio 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 Minnesota leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Minnesota performs better than Ohio 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
Minnesota 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
Minnesota 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 | Saint Paul | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 32°/16°F (0°/-9°C) | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 69°/50°F (21°/10°C) | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 43°/27°F (6°/-3°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Saint Paul | Columbus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25°/9°F (-4.1°/-12.6°C) | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 30°/14°F (-1.3°/-9.9°C) | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) |
| Mar | 42°/26°F (5.5°/-3.6°C) | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) |
| Apr | 58°/39°F (14.7°/3.9°C) | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) |
| May | 70°/50°F (21.2°/10.0°C) | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) |
| Jun | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) |
| Jul | 83°/65°F (28.5°/18.1°C) | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) |
| Aug | 81°/62°F (27.1°/16.8°C) | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) |
| Sep | 72°/53°F (22.2°/11.7°C) | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) |
| Oct | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.7°C) | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) |
| Nov | 42°/28°F (5.6°/-2.4°C) | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) |
| Dec | 28°/14°F (-2.5°/-10.1°C) | 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Ohio than Minnesota?
Generally yes: Ohio runs about 10% cheaper than Minnesota on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Ohio?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,947 in Ohio for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Ohio safe?
Minnesota performs better than Ohio across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Ohio compared to Minnesota?
Minnesota performs better than Ohio across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Ohio compared to Minnesota?
The average high temperature in Columbus is 76°F, compared to 56°F in Saint Paul. Columbus receives around 46.8 in of rainfall per year, while Saint Paul gets 28.5 in.
