Columbus, OH vs Durham, NC
Simple answer
You'd likely save $143 a month in Columbus.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Census rent. Census median gross rent differs by $239, with Durham higher.
Ohio taxes wages at a flat 2.75%. North Carolina taxes wages at a flat 3.99%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.3 percentage points, higher in Ohio. The effective property tax gap is 0.61 percentage points, higher in Ohio.
After a move from Ohio to North Carolina, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Columbus lines up with about $76,652 in Durham on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Columbus
Columbus, OH
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,602
- HUD area
- Columbus, OH HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,359
- All-items price parity
- 95.5
- Goods price parity
- 93.6
- Utilities price parity
- 95.5
- Mean commute
- 24.1 min
- Median household income
- $82,938
Durham
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,745
- HUD area
- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,598
- All-items price parity
- 97.6
- Goods price parity
- 96.6
- Utilities price parity
- 89.3
- Mean commute
- 24.4 min
- Median household income
- $83,542
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$76,652
Salary in Durham that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$77,430
Gross salary in Durham whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$81,695
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Ohio | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 2.75% flat | 3.99% flat |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.3% | 7.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.22% | 0.61% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,899 a year in Ohio and $2,455 in North Carolina. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in North Carolina
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Ohio and once in North Carolina. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
ColumbusLikely eligible
DurhamLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
ColumbusLikely eligible
DurhamLikely eligible
WIC
ColumbusLikely eligible
DurhamLikely eligible
School meals
ColumbusLikely eligible
DurhamLikely eligible
LIHEAP
ColumbusMaybe
DurhamMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
ColumbusLikely eligible
DurhamLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
ColumbusLikely eligible
DurhamLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
ColumbusUnlikely
DurhamUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
ColumbusLikely eligible
DurhamLikely eligible
SSI
ColumbusUnlikely
DurhamUnlikely
| Program | Columbus | Durham |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Columbus
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Columbus.
- Columbus and San Francisco · rent gap $2,095
- Columbus and San Jose · rent gap $1,670
- Columbus and Boston · rent gap $1,406
- Columbus and New York · rent gap $1,369
- Columbus and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,362
- Columbus and San Diego · rent gap $1,221
- Columbus and Miami · rent gap $962
- Columbus and Seattle · rent gap $947
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.