on $100k a year, leaving Birmingham

change
Columbus, OH cityscape

from birmingham

Columbus

oh · metro 2.2M

a dispatch from

columbus

OH

39.96°N

83.00°W

Columbus is Ohio State on autumn Saturdays (the Horseshoe holds 100,000+ and they all wear scarlet), German Village's cobblestone streets and brick cottages, and a Short North gallery scene that punches well above its weight. It's quietly become a test market for the rest of America because the demographics line up so neatly. The food scene leans young, weird, and good. 'Buckeyes' here can mean either the football team or the chocolate-peanut-butter candy.

metro2.2M

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$20

pricier each month than Birmingham

A small premium for Columbus. Worth it only if the rest of the city earns it back.
landable, recorded on the columbus entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,511/mo

7% more expensive than Birmingham(vs $1,407/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$84/mo less in state tax than Birmingham

vs 5% in Birmingham

03after rent

$6,490/mo

$20 less than Birmingham

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$350k

34% more expensive than Birmingham

vs $261k in Birmingham

05metro size

2.2M

vs 1.2M in Birmingham

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

171

pleasant days a year, in columbus.

Birmingham keeps to 171 pleasant days a year. Cold snaps are part of the year: 29 days below 20° here, 4 in Birmingham.

About as much going on as in Birmingham.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

57/100

7% lower than Birmingham

vs 61/100 in Birmingham

Closest outdoor draw: Alum Creek State Park, 16.2 mi.

·walk score®

85/100

8% higher than Birmingham

vs 79/100 in Birmingham

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

32

60% more than Birmingham

vs 20 nonstops in Birmingham

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as columbus:

compare columbus with: