State profile
Ohio Cost of Living Comparison
Ohio's 2024 price level is 92.774, 7.23% below the national level, and its goods are the second-cheapest in the country at 93.670.
Updated
92.774Ohio all-items price level, U.S. = 100 · rank 17 of 51, lowest first
| Measure | Ohio | Wyoming | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 92.774 | 92.691 | +0.083 points |
| Rent price level | 73.012 | 71.127 | +1.885 points |
| Home value | $214,800±$742 | $309,700±$3,824 | −$94,900 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,063±$6 | $961±$17 | +$102 |
| Household income | $71,389±$321 | $76,176±$1,168 | −$4,787 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $2,822±$10 | $1,767±$19 | +$1,055 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Ohio scales to $3,996 in Wyoming at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Ohio: second-cheapest goods and a new flat-rate income tax
Ohio saves households money at the store. Its goods parity ranks second-lowest of 51, and rents (73.012) rank 14th-lowest. Utilities are the exception: at 95.823 they rank 34th, closer to the national level than most of the state's costs.
Housing is inexpensive but not tax-light. Ohio homes are cheap, 44th by median value, but the typical owner's tax bill is not: $2,822 a year puts Ohio 23rd. The two-bedroom gross-rent median is $1,063, rank 37, and renters spend 28.3% of income on gross rent.
The income tax changed for 2026. Ohio Revised Code 5747.02 now taxes nonbusiness income above $26,050 at $332 plus 2.75% of the excess, replacing a 2025 schedule whose top bracket was 3.125% above $100,000; taxable business income is taxed separately at 3%. In fiscal 2025, individual income tax supplied 28.3% of state collections and general sales 42.6%; corporate income tax brought in essentially nothing. Total collections were $3,264 per resident, rank 43.
Incomes are modest. The median household income of $71,389 ranks 40th and real per capita personal income, adjusted for prices, is $56,232, rank 34.
The relative price level has barely moved, from 91.935 in 2020 to 92.774 in 2024. Ohio's five neighbours range from West Virginia (89.497) and Kentucky (90.159) on the cheap side to Michigan (96.217) and Pennsylvania (97.572), where the two-bedroom median is $1,245, or $182 a month more. Wyoming (92.691) is the closest price level nationally.
Category price levels in Ohio
| Category | Parity | Rank, low first | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 92.774 | 17 | 7.23% below |
| Goods | 93.670 | 2 | 6.33% below |
| Housing (rents) | 73.012 | 14 | 26.99% below |
| Utilities | 95.823 | 34 | 4.18% below |
| Other services | 98.947 | 21 | 1.05% below |
| Real income per person, 2017 $ | $56,232 | 34 | U.S. $59,195 |
All items by year: 2020 91.935 · 2021 92.223 · 2022 91.506 · 2023 91.903 · 2024 92.774 (+0.839 since 2020). How to read categories and trends
Monthly housing costs
- Owners with a mortgage
- $1,517±$5 · rank 45, high first
- Owners without a mortgage
- $588±$2 · rank 30
- Renters: gross rent / income
- 28.3%±0.2 · rank 39
Ohio state tax collections, FY2025
$38.84 billion in total, $3,264 per resident. Scope of these figures
| Tax | FY2025 | Share | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | $10.98 billion | 28.3% | $923 |
| General sales | $16.53 billion | 42.6% | $1,389 |
| Property | not levied | ||
| Motor fuel | $2.75 billion | 7.1% | $231 |
| Other selective sales | $6.35 billion | 16.3% | $533 |
| Corporate income | $0.2 million | 0.0% | $0 |
| Licenses | $2.18 billion | 5.6% | $183 |
| Severance | $60.5 million | 0.2% | $5 |
| Other taxes | $0.1 million | 0.0% | $0 |
Ohio income tax on wages
For taxable years beginning in 2026, Ohio Revised Code 5747.02 taxes an individual's nonbusiness income above $26,050 at $332 plus 2.75% of the excess, replacing the 2025 schedule whose top bracket was 3.125% above $100,000. Taxable business income is taxed separately at 3% after its own deduction.
Read : Ohio Revised Code 5747.02. Price parities exclude income taxes.
Ohio sales tax
Ohio's state sales and use tax rate is 5.75%. Counties and regional transit authorities can each add tax in steps of 0.05%, up to 3%, and the combined state, county and transit rate cannot exceed 8.75%, according to the Department of Taxation.
Ohio beside its neighbours
| Jurisdiction | All items | Rents | Goods | 2BR rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 92.774 | 73.012 | 93.670 | $1,063 |
| Indiana | 93.329 | 73.926 | 95.509 | $1,076 |
| Kentucky | 90.159 | 64.313 | 95.967 | $968 |
| Michigan | 96.217 | 82.332 | 95.993 | $1,162 |
| Pennsylvania | 97.572 | 85.068 | 99.357 | $1,245 |
| West Virginia | 89.497 | 54.241 | 96.539 | $896 |
Before you budget a move
An Ohio income comparison requires the actual residence and work jurisdictions before taxes are prepared. Local obligations are not represented by the BEA all-items index or by median household income. Start with the employer offer and approved annual liabilities, keeping benefits and withholding distinct from final tax expense.
For Columbus-area, Cleveland-area, Cincinnati-area or another Ohio address, collect the proposed housing and transport costs together. A different commute can alter vehicle or parking needs. The state gross-rent benchmark is a population statistic and cannot tell you what one landlord includes in an advertised monthly amount.
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