Champaign vs Columbus
The short version
- Champaign is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Columbus area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $210,900 in Champaign and $252,900 in Columbus.
- Households earn more in Columbus ($66,082 vs $56,118 median).
- Commutes are shorter in Champaign (15 vs 22 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Champaign, IL | Columbus, OH | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 91,195 | 938,396 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.3% | +3.6% |
| People per square mile | 3,961 | 4,236 |
| Median age | 26.6 | 33.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 53% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $56,118 | $66,082 |
| Median home value | $210,900 | $252,900 |
| Home value to income | 3.8× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,123 | $1,295 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.7 | 95.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 71.6 | 87.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,500 | $71,600 |
| Homeowners | 44% | 44% |
| Top state income tax | 4.95% | 2.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.98% | 7.29% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 14.9 | 21.5 |
| Work from home | 17% | 18% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.8% | 5.1% |
| Poverty rate | 25.9% | 18.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 34° / 18° | 37° / 22° |
| July high / low | 85° / 65° | 85° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 41 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 21 in | 28 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 23 | 21 |
| Nights below freezing | 120 | 103 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 90.5 | 98.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 66% | 40% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.4% | +3.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +47.5% | +46.1% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Champaign: July to October. Columbus: April to June and August to October.
Full monthly tables: Champaign weather by month and Columbus weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,500 in Champaign and $71,600 in Columbus. Moving from Champaign to Columbus, you would need about $77,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Champaign and Columbus
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Champaign and Columbus.
Which would you pick?
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