Cost of living in Salem, Ohio

Salem, Ohio has about 11,758 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $119,400.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Columbiana County is $1,003 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Salem. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

Ohio's prices sit at 92.8 when the U.S. average is 100. This place is not in a metro area with its own index, so this is the state number from BEA for 2024.

Ohio taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.3% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Salem's exact store tax.

Some places in Ohio add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 1.20% of income. That is not a Salem bill.

In July 2026, a typical Ohio home paid 19.45¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Salem's bill.

For the week of October 12, 2026, EIA's all-grades gasoline price in Ohio was $3.974 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,907.52 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Ohio shares this price.

Among 618 places we list in Ohio with a rent figure, 537 have higher typical rent than Salem.