Columbus composite
51.0 /100
Grade B- · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Columbus vs Toledo
Columbus, OH and Toledo, OH side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 51.0
- Columbus Life Score
- B-
- Columbus grade
- 66.3
- Toledo Life Score
- A+
- Toledo grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Columbus scores higher on 3 (wages, safety, childcare) and Toledo on 4 (cost of living, rent, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Columbus vs Toledo across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Columbus Toledo ◗
cost of living
41
67
wages
77
53
rent
35
86
safety
58
57
schools
81
88
childcare
32
30
environment
21
90
Columbus and Toledo differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Columbus has a cost-of-living index of 95.5 vs Toledo's 91.5 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $70,997 in Columbus and $67,305 in Toledo. A 2-bedroom averages $1,430/mo vs $1,076/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Columbus vs Toledo Comparison
Columbus (OH) and Toledo (OH) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 95.5 for Columbus against 91.5 for Toledo, a 4.0-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,430/mo in Columbus and $1,076/mo in Toledo, a $354/mo difference that compounds to $4,248 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $70,997 across 1,092,320 jobs in Columbus against $67,305 across 284,410 jobs in Toledo. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Columbus carries the same local purchasing power as $95,795 in Toledo - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 292.8 per 100,000 residents in OH vs 292.8 in OH, with property-crime rates of 1545.4 and 1545.4 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: OH lists 3,586 public schools at a 18.2:1 student-teacher ratio, while OH lists 3,586 schools at 18.2:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $11,791/yr in the Columbus area versus $11,791/yr in Toledo - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Columbus and Toledo are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Toledo composite
66.3 /100
Grade A+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
4.0 pts
Columbus vs Toledo BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$354 /mo
Columbus priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Columbus
Columbus composite (Grade B-)
Toledo
Toledo composite (Grade A+)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Columbus | Toledo |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 95.5 | 91.5 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 93.6 |
| Services | 95.5 | 96.3 |
| Rents | 87.9 | 67.3 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Toledo gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Columbus?
$
Equivalent in Toledo:
$95,795
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Columbus: 95.5, Toledo: 91.5, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Columbus | Toledo |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,111/mo | $769/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,194/mo | $820/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,430/mo | $1,076/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,715/mo | $1,380/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,927/mo | $1,454/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Columbus | Toledo |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $70,997 | $67,305 |
| Total Employment | 1,092,320 | 284,410 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Columbus (OH) | Toledo (OH) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 292.8 | 292.8 |
| Property Crime | 1545.4 | 1545.4 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | OH | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 3,586 | 3,586 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 18.2:1 | 18.2:1 |
| Charter Schools | 9.3% | 9.3% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | OH | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $11,791/yr | $11,791/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $10,686/yr | $10,686/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $9,394/yr | $9,394/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | OH | OH |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 1,546 | 1,546 |
| Water Systems | 1,094 | 1,094 |
| Superfund Sites | 50 | 50 |
| Water Violations | 1,386 | 1,386 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Columbus | Toledo |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 54.0 | 53.0 |
| Good Air Days | 41.0% | 42.4% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 5 days | 4 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | OH | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 12/100 | 12/100 |
| Total Violations | 288,388 | 288,388 |
| Health-Based Violations | 52,412 | 52,412 |
| Systems with Violations | 90.4% | 90.4% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | OH | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 482 | 482 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | OH | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 56/100 | 56/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 55.0 | 55.0 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 57.6 | 57.6 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Columbus more expensive than Toledo? ▼
Columbus has a cost of living index of 95.5 compared to Toledo's 91.5 (national average = 100). Columbus is 4.0 points above Toledo on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Columbus and Toledo? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,430/mo in Columbus vs $1,076/mo in Toledo, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $1,111/mo to $769/mo.
How do salaries compare between Columbus and Toledo? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $70,997 in Columbus and $67,305 in Toledo, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Columbus has the same purchasing power as $95,795 in Toledo.
Is Columbus or Toledo safer? ▼
At the state level, OH has a violent crime rate of 292.8 per 100,000 residents compared to OH's 292.8 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1545.4 vs 1545.4 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Columbus and Toledo? ▼
OH has 3,586 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 18.2:1, while OH has 3,586 schools at 18.2:1. Charter schools make up 9.3% of OH schools vs 9.3% in OH. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
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Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial