Moving to Ohio from Missouri

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Missouri to Ohio — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Missouri to Ohio, you would find that Ohio is 0.1% more expensive than Missouri. A $75,000 salary in Missouri would need to be roughly $75,098 in Ohio to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Columbus averages 76°F vs 66°F in Columbia, making it significantly warmer.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Missouri to Ohio.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $75,098

To maintain the same standard of living in Ohio

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 1.0% less

Groceries

pay 5.1% less

Transportation

pay 1.9% more

Housing

pay 0.8% less

Childcare

pay 6.4% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 3.7% more

See full cost of living breakdown

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 Missouri and Ohio stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MO
453
OH
284
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MO
2070
OH
1676

Ohio performs significantly better than Missouri across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

MO
8.9%
OH
6.2%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

MO
37.5%
OH
39.5%

Missouri generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

MO
$215,600
OH
$199,200
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

MO
$996
OH
$988

Ohio generally does better on what about housing?, though Missouri leads in homeownership rate.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

MO
88.3%
OH
89.0%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

MO
24 min
OH
24 min

Ohio performs significantly better than Missouri across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

MO
3.3%
OH
4.0%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

MO
$56,344
OH
$60,669

Missouri generally does better on employment & economy, though Ohio leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

MO
75.1 yrs
OH
75.3 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

MO
22%
OH
21%

Missouri generally does better on family life, though Ohio leads in life expectancy.

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.

Columbia Rain: 46.3 in/yr (1175 mm)
66° / 46°F

Avg. annual high / low

Columbus Rain: 46.8 in/yr (1188 mm)
76° / 55°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Columbia Columbus
Jan–Mar 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) 63°/41°F (17°/5°C)
Apr–Jun 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) 84°/62°F (29°/16°C)
Jul–Sep 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) 90°/71°F (32°/21°C)
Oct–Dec 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) 68°/47°F (20°/8°C)
View all months
Month Columbia Columbus
Jan 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C)
Feb 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C)
Mar 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C)
Apr 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C)
May 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C)
Jun 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C)
Jul 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C)
Aug 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C)
Sep 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C)
Oct 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C)
Nov 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C)
Dec 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C) 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Ohio than Missouri?

Headline costs are within a few percent between Ohio and Missouri; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.

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 $18,774 in Ohio for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Ohio safe?

Ohio performs significantly better than Missouri across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Ohio compared to Missouri?

Missouri generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.

What's the weather like in Ohio compared to Missouri?

The average high temperature in Columbus is 76°F, compared to 66°F in Columbia. Columbus receives around 46.8 in of rainfall per year, while Columbia gets 46.3 in.

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