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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Columbus, OH vs Marion, OH

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Columbus needs about $76,000 in Marion to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Marion, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $94,000 in Columbus.

A few differences

Columbus vs Marion · facet by facet
FacetColumbus, OHMarion, OH
Median home price$280,000$119,500
2-bedroom rent$1,500/mo$906/mo
Property tax rate1.9%1.5%
State & local income tax4.41%3.91%
Sales tax7.5%7.25%
Cost of living index9274
Groceries index9695
Utilities$165/mo$160/mo
Median household income$62,000$47,951
Unemployment rate4%3.9%
Crime index48/10045/100
School rating6.0/105.8/10
Sunny days / year179 days175 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Columbus, OH · Marion, OH
Questions & answers
Is Columbus cheaper than Marion?
Marion has the lower day-to-day cost index (74 vs 92 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Marion equals $85,000 in Columbus?
A household earning $85,000 in Columbus needs about $76,000 in Marion to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Marion lifestyle costs about $94,000 in Columbus.