Moving to Washington from Ohio
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Ohio to Washington — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Ohio to Washington, you would find that Washington is 22.1% more expensive than Ohio. A $75,000 salary in Ohio would need to be roughly $93,904 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Olympia averages 60°F vs 76°F in Columbus, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Ohio to Washington.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $93,904
To maintain the same standard of living in Washington
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 17.8% more
Groceries
pay 19.0% more
Transportation
pay 6.5% more
Housing
pay 34.2% more
Childcare
pay 39.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 29.3% more
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 Washington cost about 38% more than cities in Ohio.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Ohio and Washington 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
Ohio performs better than Washington 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
Washington performs significantly 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 performs better than Washington across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Ohio generally does better on infrastructure, though Washington leads in internet access.
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
Washington 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
Washington performs significantly 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 | Columbus | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Columbus | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) |
| Feb | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) |
| May | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) |
| Jun | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jul | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) |
| Aug | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) |
| Sep | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) |
| Oct | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 59°/39°F (15.2°/3.8°C) | 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Washington than Ohio?
Day-to-day costs in Washington run about 25% higher than Ohio on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Washington?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $23,476 in Washington for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Washington safe?
Ohio performs better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Washington compared to Ohio?
Washington performs significantly better than Ohio across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Washington compared to Ohio?
The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 76°F in Columbus. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Columbus gets 46.8 in.
