Columbus vs Omaha
The short version
- Omaha is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Columbus area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $245,500 in Omaha and $252,900 in Columbus.
- Households earn more in Omaha ($73,201 vs $66,082 median).
- Columbus is growing faster: +3.6% since 2020 vs -0.6%.
Side by side
| Columbus, OH | Omaha, NE | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 938,396 | 488,797 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.6% | -0.6% |
| People per square mile | 4,236 | 3,420 |
| Median age | 33.2 | 35.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38% | 40% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,082 | $73,201 |
| Median home value | $252,900 | $245,500 |
| Home value to income | 3.8× | 3.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,295 | $1,187 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 95.5 | 91.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 87.9 | 86.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $71,600 | $68,900 |
| Homeowners | 44% | 57% |
| Top state income tax | 2.75% | 4.55% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.29% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.5 | 19.6 |
| Work from home | 18% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| Poverty rate | 18.1% | 13.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 37° / 22° | 34° / 15° |
| July high / low | 85° / 65° | 88° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 42 in | 32 in |
| Snowfall per year | 28 in | 27 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 21 | 33 |
| Nights below freezing | 103 | 134 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.1 | 95.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 40% | 62% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.3% | +4.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +46.1% | +40.1% |
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: Columbus: April to June and August to October. Omaha: June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Columbus weather by month and Omaha weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $71,600 in Columbus and $68,900 in Omaha. Moving from Columbus to Omaha, you would need about $72,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Columbus and Omaha
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Columbus and Omaha.
Which would you pick?
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