Moving from California to Ohio: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from California to Ohio.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from California to Ohio
California has graduated income tax rates up to 13.3% and Ohio has a flat 2.75% income tax. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,911 in state income tax in California and $1,981 in state income tax in Ohio. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax falls by $4,229 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,899 a month across California's metro areas and $946 across Ohio's (-50.2%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $58,891 in California and $49,658 in Ohio. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Metropolitan Corridors Between California & Ohio
Moving from California to Ohio on a $100,000 salary: pay $4,229 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $946 vs $1,899 a month (HUD FMR).
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $4,229 lower in Ohio than in California (4.2 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Ohio's metros is $946 a month, versus $1,899 in California (-50.2%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$15,664 a year.
California: Graduated Brackets, top rate 13.3%. Ohio: Flat Tax, top rate 2.75%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.