Midwest ranking
26 Ohio cities ranked by cost of living, cheapest first.
Index 79
Index 94
Sorted by cost-of-living index — lowest (most affordable) first.
| # | City | Cost index | Median rent | Median income | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Youngstown | 79 | $711/mo | $34,295 | 60K | Compare → |
| 2 | Mansfield | 79 | $733/mo | $40,996 | 48K | Compare → |
| 3 | Canton | 81 | $793/mo | $37,627 | 71K | Compare → |
| 4 | Springfield | 82 | $787/mo | $45,113 | 59K | Compare → |
| 5 | Toledo | 84 | $854/mo | $45,405 | 270K | Compare → |
| 6 | Dayton | 86 | $830/mo | $41,443 | 137K | Compare → |
| 7 | Kettering | 87 | $942/mo | $69,818 | 58K | Compare → |
| 8 | Beavercreek | 88 | $1,304/mo | $108,140 | 47K | Compare → |
| 9 | Akron | 88 | $887/mo | $46,596 | 190K | Compare → |
| 10 | Cuyahoga Falls | 88 | $973/mo | $67,922 | 51K | Compare → |
| 11 | Lorain | 89 | $832/mo | $46,562 | 65K | Compare → |
| 12 | Elyria | 89 | $835/mo | $49,569 | 53K | Compare → |
| 13 | Cleveland | 89 | $851/mo | $37,271 | 370K | Compare → |
| 14 | Euclid | 89 | $931/mo | $45,018 | 49K | Compare → |
| 15 | Lakewood | 89 | $941/mo | $63,299 | 51K | Compare → |
| 16 | Parma | 89 | $980/mo | $65,848 | 81K | Compare → |
| 17 | Cleveland Heights | 90 | $1,091/mo | $69,155 | 45K | Compare → |
| 18 | Mentor | 90 | $1,124/mo | $84,503 | 47K | Compare → |
| 19 | Strongsville | 90 | $1,191/mo | $101,176 | 46K | Compare → |
| 20 | Middletown | 91 | $919/mo | $50,457 | 51K | Compare → |
| 21 | Cincinnati | 92 | $893/mo | $49,191 | 309K | Compare → |
| 22 | Hamilton | 92 | $947/mo | $52,995 | 63K | Compare → |
| 23 | Newark | 92 | $882/mo | $56,284 | 50K | Compare → |
| 24 | Fairfield | 93 | $1,096/mo | $67,182 | 45K | Compare → |
| 25 | Columbus | 93 | $1,161/mo | $62,994 | 902K | Compare → |
| 26 | Dublin | 94 | $1,541/mo | $158,363 | 49K | Compare → |
So you're thinking about Ohio. The strongest arguments for it are around ohio is on the affordable side of the country and real low-cost-of-living options exist here, plus 3 more. Detail on each below.
Ohio averages a cost-of-living index of roughly 88 across its cities, about 12% under the national average. Different cities vary — see the full ranking above — but the overall state picture is on the affordable side. Average median rent across Ohio cities runs about $963/mo.
Youngstown ranks as Ohio's most affordable city at a composite cost index of 79 (21% below US average). Worth a look as a baseline for the cost ceiling — most of the rest of the state's cities are more expensive than this, not less.
Living in Ohio comes with access to Columbus, a city of roughly 902,449 with the infrastructure that follows from real urban scale. The benefit isn't just for the people inside the city limits — the airport, hospitals, and labor market serve most of the state.
Ohio has 26 cities in our ranking, covering a real spread of size, density, and cost. People talk about a state like it's monolithic; in practice, the place you actually live varies a lot, and Ohio gives you a real menu to pick from.
Ohio's Great Lakes coastline is a real geographic asset that's easy to forget about until you've lived near it. Summer life in lakeside towns rivals what you'd get on the ocean, the water is fresh (no salt corrosion, no jellyfish), and winter brings lake-effect snow that locals either love or accept as the price of admission.
Reasons reflect aggregated city data for Ohio (Census ACS, BLS, BEA) plus well-known state-level geography. We only list points that are actually supported — different states show different sections.
Across Ohio, Youngstown is the most affordable city we track (cost index 79, with median rent around $711/mo), while Dublin sits at the top of the range with an index of 94—roughly 20% pricier than Youngstown. Use the table above to compare any Ohio city directly against Youngstown.
The other end of the ranking — priciest first.