Midwest · Updated October 2026
Ohio in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,273/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
21.2%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
2.75%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
1.22%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
96.9
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
15th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where Ohio stands out: the 5th lowest natural-disaster risk and the 3rd lowest top income-tax rate among the 50 states.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 8.4% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 17th highest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Columbus (Columbus Port Columbus Intl Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 40°F | 25°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 63°F | 42°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 84°F | 64°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 65°F | 45°F |
$1,602/mo two-bedroom · $1,346 one-bedroom (Columbus, OH HUD Metro FMR Area)
Columbus is Ohio's fastest-growing metro — Ohio State, a large insurance and retail corporate base, and new chip-fabrication investment. Affordable, young, flat, and increasingly diverse, with grey winters and no natural drama to the landscape.
$1,442/mo two-bedroom · $1,128 one-bedroom (Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area)
Cincinnati is a hilly river city with genuine architectural character in Over-the-Rhine, several Fortune 500 headquarters and a distinctive local food culture. Very affordable, and more Southern in feel than the rest of Ohio.
$1,274/mo two-bedroom · $1,050 one-bedroom (Cleveland, OH HUD Metro FMR Area)
Cleveland has world-class hospitals, a top-five art museum, an orchestra and extraordinarily cheap housing, all on Lake Erie. Winters are grey and snowy, and the metro has lost population for decades.
$1,248/mo two-bedroom · $1,008 one-bedroom (Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH MSA)
Dayton is an aviation-heritage city anchored by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, with very low housing costs and an ongoing recovery from industrial decline. Practical, affordable and quiet.
$1,145/mo two-bedroom · $875 one-bedroom (Toledo, OH MSA)
Toledo is a Lake Erie port city known for glass-making, with the University of Toledo and a well-regarded zoo and art museum. Very cheap housing; the city charges its own income tax on residents.
$1,231/mo two-bedroom · $952 one-bedroom (Akron, OH MSA)
Akron is the former rubber capital, now a healthcare and polymer research city with the University of Akron and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park next door. Very affordable; the city charges its own income tax.
$1,129/mo two-bedroom · $992 one-bedroom (Athens County, OH)
Athens is Ohio University's town in the Appalachian foothills — hilly, green, cheap, and famous for its student social scene. Genuinely remote from Ohio's big metros, with a limited year-round economy.
$1,049/mo two-bedroom · $827 one-bedroom (Canton-Massillon, OH MSA)
Canton is a northeast Ohio city home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with manufacturing and healthcare. Very cheap housing and a revived arts district downtown; it charges its own income tax.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. Ohio’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 2.75% (Ohio tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 8.4% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,273 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,027, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $486 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 96.9 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 66.5 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 21.2% of the state’s median household income of $72,212.
Ohio recorded 293.7 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 23rd lowest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are tornadoes and severe winter storms. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Ohio’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 15th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.