2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Columbus, OH

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Columbus, OH.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$59,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-41.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$1,729
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$19,884
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$21,613/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

COL 180.4
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,911
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,969
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$36,036
Discretionary Cash Flow $36,933
Target Market
Destination Location

Columbus, OH

COL 106.5
Gross Parity Income $59,000
Federal Income Tax -$4,900
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$4,514
State Income Tax -$847
Local / City Tax -$1,475
Net Annual Take-Home $47,265
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,152
Discretionary Cash Flow $31,113

EPI family budgets put living costs 41.0% lower in Columbus, OH than in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, so $100,000 in San Francisco goes about as far as $59,000 in Columbus. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $3,003 a month in San Francisco and $1,346 in Columbus, $19,884 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $1,729 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Columbus. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $21,613 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $74,260 in San Francisco and $51,340 in Columbus.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (Monthly) Columbus (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$3,003$1,346-$1,657-55.2%
Food & Groceries$469$355-$114-24.3%
Transportation$968$996+$28+2.9%
Healthcare$608$453-$155-25.5%
Other Necessities$852$453-$399-46.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,253$2,108-$145-6.4%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,657/mo (-55.2%)
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont: $3,003/mo Columbus: $1,346/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$2,095/mo (-56.7%)
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont: $3,697/mo Columbus: $1,602/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$16.36/hr (-41.0%)
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont: $39.91/hr Columbus: $23.55/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$19.13/hr (-46.1%)
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont: $41.52/hr Columbus: $22.39/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont Median Columbus Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$186,640$122,340-$64,300 (-34.5%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$149,990$102,590-$47,400 (-31.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$186,610$83,900-$102,710 (-55.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$110,730$81,700-$29,030 (-26.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$126,730$90,010-$36,720 (-29.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$135,040$98,660-$36,380 (-26.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$232,890$167,630-$65,260 (-28.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$216,150$145,630-$70,520 (-32.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$170,810$138,580-$32,230 (-18.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$161,700$129,940-$31,760 (-19.6%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$166,310$107,520-$58,790 (-35.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$92,830$64,700-$28,130 (-30.3%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Columbus, OH Relocation FAQs

About $59,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (180.4 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 106.5 in Columbus, OH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Columbus, OH: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Columbus, OH to San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Relocation: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Columbus, OH Overview

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Columbus, OH: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Columbus, OH compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Columbus, OH to match $100,000 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

About $59,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (180.4 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 106.5 in Columbus, OH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Columbus, OH cheaper than San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 41.0% lower in Columbus, OH than in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.