is surprisingly affordable, thanks to cheap housing costs and low food prices. A single adult needs to earn at least $31,220 to live comfortably in Ohio.

From

Cleveland

on the shore of Lake Erie to

Cincinnati

in the south, the Buckeye State is a diverse and exciting place to live! Sure, Ohio is not as metropolitan as New York, but the cost of living in Ohio is much more affordable than in other places.

Whether you’re looking to relocate to Ohio or you’re simply concerned about rising costs, keep reading.

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, the

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created to save drivers money on car and

home insurance

, has put together this guide to cost of living in Ohio. Let’s jump in!

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How affordable is the cost of living in Ohio?

Ohio is more famous for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame than its cost of living. In fact, if you ask the average American, they may have no idea how affordable the cost of living is in Ohio.

The cost of living index in Ohio is 82.6.

What does this number really mean? The US average cost of living index is set at 100 exactly. Any number below 100 means a lower-than-average cost of living. For instance, West Virginia’s cost of living index is 78.1 while Maryland’s is 113.

In other words, Ohio is pretty darned affordable compared to a lot of other states when it comes to the cost of living.

Let’s break down that 82.6 COLI (cost of living index) into more specific categories. Let’s see how much food, healthcare, housing, transportation, and more cost in Ohio as compared to the national average.

Food: $270 to $839 per month

Food is included as part of necessary spending each month. This category only includes your take-home groceries, however. It excludes all restaurant meals, take-out, fast food, and coffee drive-thru stops.

Data from

MIT’s Living Wage Calculator

indicates that the annual cost of food in Ohio ranges from$3,423 to $6,275, depending on the size of your family and where you live.

If you are a single adult in Ohio, you can expect to spend about $285 per month just on take-home groceries. A family of four (with two adults and two children) can expect to pay closer to $839 every month for food. In 2020, the average monthly grocery bill for US households was approximately $411—but that number rises every year.

Remember, this monthly figure does not include date nights, beers with friends, or coffee shops.

Healthcare: $220 for an individual per month

Average annual healthcare costs per person in Ohio total $2,637, or $220 per month. That’s significantly lower than the national average of $477 per month.

Healthcare costs vary dramatically from family to family, so it’s a little hard to generalize. If you have someone in the household who needs costly prescriptions or other major care, then you’ll pay a lot more for healthcare. But the baseline average cost of healthcare in Ohio is quite affordable, at about half the national figure.

Housing: $642 to $1,592 per month

It’s no surprise that housing costs take up a huge chunk of the budget for cost of living in Ohio. In summer 2022, the average home value in Ohio was about $213,000.

Renters and buyers will pay different monthly costs for housing. Your exact cost depends on the type of home you live in:

Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,250

Average studio rent: $615

Average one-bedroom rent: $695

Average two-bedroom rent: $877

Average three-bedroom rent: $1,139

Average four-bedroom rent: $1,248

Now, let’s take a pause. The numbers above represent the state average, so there are cities in Ohio where the housing prices cost more and cost less.

Dayton

, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is about $650. Housing costs in downtown Cleveland for a 1-bedroom, for comparison, are closer to $1,508 per month.

Housing prices in Ohio are lower than the national average. The typical home value in the US is quite a bit higher at 337,560 and the average rent is about $1,904 per month.

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Transportation: $442 to $1,166 per month

Transportation is another non-negotiable expense that is factored into cost of living in Ohio. However, your transportation costs really depend on where you live. For instance, commuters in a city might use public transit or drive. Rural dwellers might need to drive farther—or they might telecommute.

In Ohio, you can expect to pay between $442 and $1,166 per month for transportation. For context, the national average for a two-person household is $818 per month.

Here’s a more specific breakdown of transportation costs in Ohio:

Average annual cost of car insurance in Ohio: $336 to $1,200 (

liability

only vs.

full coverage

)

Monthly Transit pass in Cleveland: $95

Average

commute length

in Ohio: 23.5 minutes

Average cost of a gallon of gas, August 2022: $3.65

MORE:

Moving companies in Columbus

How much you need to live comfortably in Ohio: $31,220 to $46,000 per year

Using these calculations, we can see that a single adult needs to earn at least $31,220 per year, or $15.61/hour, to live comfortably in Ohio. A living wage for a family of four, on the other hand, is $46,000 per year or $23.29/hour.

The minimum wage in Ohio is $9.30 per hour. It could be tricky to earn enough to meet your needs here unless you have a higher-paying job. On top of essential costs, you’ll need to pay for things like entertainment and saving for the future.

Here’s a list of some common non-essentials with Ohio’s prices compared to the national average price:

Average cost of a date: $90 (US average: $116)

Average cost of a night at the movies: $9.80 (US average: $10.61)

Average cost of a Big Mac: $4.03 (US average: $3.99)

Cedar Point Amusement Park: $85 for a one-day pass (US average theme park ticket price: $91)

Average sales tax: 5.75%(US average: 5.09%)

Everyone is different—you may be able to live happily on less than $31,220 per year! However, this figure is the average baseline budget for annual cost of living in Ohio.

The Ohio cities with the lowest cost of living

Now we know that pretty much everything in Ohio is cheaper than the national average. But there’s even better news: some Ohio cities have a lower cost of living than the state average (82.6).

Check out this list of affordable cities in Ohio:

Cleveland (COLI: 72.6): Known for its prime location on Lake Erie and home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland offers affordable urban living

Springfield (COLI: 70.7): This quiet, small town has an active community with outdoor and artistic activities for all ages—and cheap cost of living

Canton (COLI: 74.3): Canton has a strong manufacturing history, and today its main industries are retail and finance. It’s only one hour from Cleveland

Youngstown (COLI: 65.8): Formerly a steel town, Youngstown is a diverse city that takes pride in its local businesses and outdoor recreation opportunities

Sandusky (COLI: 68.8): Mostly known for its proximity to Cedar Point on Lake Erie, Sandusky offers affordable coastal living with ferry access to Canada via Pelee Island

If you’re serious about saving money, consider one of these five cities for your relocation to Ohio.

MORE:

How bad is Cincinnati traffic?

How to easily find home and car insurance in Ohio

Not only will you pay less to live in Ohio but you’ll pay less for home and

car insurance

, too. You can save even more if you shop around for prices before signing up.

Relocating to a new city or state is the perfect time to look for a new insurance policy. You’ll have to update your address anyway, and it could make you eligible for a better rate. Don’t worry, switching is easy if you use the

Jerry

app.

Jerry is a free app that helps you compare rates fast. Then, it does all the paperwork and phone calls on your behalf. All you do is tap a few times and Jerry will switch you over—the app even cancels your old policy!