Compare / Columbus to Winston-Salem
Columbus, OH vs Winston-Salem, NC
Simple answer
You'd likely save $270 a month in Winston-Salem.
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 $257, with Columbus 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 $72,309 in Winston-Salem 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
Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, NC
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,332
- HUD area
- Winston-Salem, NC HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $1,102
- All-items price parity
- 92.0
- Goods price parity
- 96.6
- Utilities price parity
- 88.4
- Mean commute
- 23.8 min
- Median household income
- $65,903
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.
$72,309
Salary in Winston-Salem that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$72,245
Gross salary in Winston-Salem whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$62,360
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
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
ColumbusLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
WIC
ColumbusLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
School meals
ColumbusLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
LIHEAP
ColumbusMaybe
Winston-SalemMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
ColumbusLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
ColumbusLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
ColumbusUnlikely
Winston-SalemUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
ColumbusLikely eligible
Winston-SalemLikely eligible
SSI
ColumbusUnlikely
Winston-SalemUnlikely
| Program | Columbus | Winston-Salem |
|---|---|---|
| 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.