Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Columbus costs less to live in than 61% of U.S. towns
It ranks #439 of 592 in Indiana for affordability. Up 2.2% in a year, 8% above the Indiana typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Columbus, IN metro area ($80K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Columbus metro earn ($80K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.1 years of metro income, and 42% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $279Ktypical home, 8% above the Indiana typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,350a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 93prices across the Columbus metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 75)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$80K, Columbus-area income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 42%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Indiana: 48%Census 2020–24
- 13%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Columbus?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Columbus’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Columbus is more affordable than 61% of U.S. towns, #439 of 592 in Indiana. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Indiana: up 28.2% in five years, against 28.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 28.2% in five years
About the same pace as Indiana (28.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Columbus | Indiana |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $155,000 | $133,000 |
| 2018 | $161,000 | $142,000 |
| 2019 | $171,000 | $152,000 |
| 2020 | $184,000 | $162,000 |
| 2021 | $199,000 | $180,000 |
| 2022 | $225,000 | $207,000 |
| 2023 | $242,000 | $224,000 |
| 2024 | $256,000 | $234,000 |
| 2025 | $268,000 | $246,000 |
| 2026 | $276,000 | $253,000 |
| September 2026 | $279,000 | $257,000 |
A typical Columbus home worth $154K in October 2016 is worth about $279K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A strong seller's market
Homes are selling faster than new ones are listed: less than two months of supply. Well-priced homes can draw several offers.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 3.1 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Columbus’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Columbus home, with $36K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month here, $310 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Columbus’s typical property tax (0.83% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350
Renters already here pay a median of $1,157, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Columbus, IN MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs above the Indiana norm
The median bill is $2,037 (Indiana: $1,614), 0.83% of a home’s value a year, against 0.74% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Columbus
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Columbus, IN metro area, or Indiana. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 93 | IN 93 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 94 | IN 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 87 | IN 86 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | IN 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Columbus vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Columbus has the lowest. Harrison Township and Clay Township and Columbus Township and German Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | B | $279K | $244K | 0.83% | $1,350 |
| Columbus Township | – | — | $239K | 0.81% | $1,380 |
| Harrison Township | C+ | — | $393K | 0.76% | $1,420 |
| Clay Township | A | — | $240K | 0.76% | $1,240 |
| German Township | A | — | $166K | 0.48% | $1,220 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Columbus
Is Columbus expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Columbus costs less than 61% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living, #439 of 592 in Indiana. The typical home costs 3.1 years of the median household income of the Columbus, IN metro area ($80K).
How much does a house cost in Columbus?
About $279K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.2% in a year. The Indiana typical home is $257K.
What salary do you need to live in Columbus?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $71,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,660 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $54,000.
How much is rent in Columbus?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,350 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,157 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Columbus?
The median bill is $2,037 a year, 0.83% of the median home value (Indiana: $1,614, 0.74%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Columbus going up?
Yes: up 2.2% in the past year and 28.2% in five years, against 28.7% across Indiana (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Columbus buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.