Why is the cost of living so low in Cincinnati? (Columbus: real estate, apartments)

[Wandering_Nomad]

I was just comparing various cities in the U.S. with populations over 100,000, and Cincinnati seems to be one of the lowest in terms of cost of living. Any thoughts?

Compare cities for yourself:
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

[Ohiogirl81]

Shhhhh ... don't tell anyone!

[goyguy]

There are all sorts of variables tied in with determining the "cost of living" somewhere. For instance, residential real estate is notably cheaper than it is in Chicago and cities in the Northeast or on the West Coast. BUT property taxes tend to be considerably higher.
Many foods are less expensive because of the shorter distance needed for transport, e.g. it costs less to bring truckloads of oranges and grapefruit from Florida to Ohio than from Florida to Connecticut.
Etc.

[Wilson513]

Because Numbeo, the site you linked, provides really bad statistics and it appears they are just subjective inputs from voluntary participants. No one really thinks there is a 101.34% higher cost of oranges in Columbus Ohio than in Cincinnati, do they?

Do you know that City Data has actual statistics and not like the crappola site that you are trolling for? How much do you get paid for a click-through?

[progmac]

While we all know Cincinnati is cheap compared to cities in the northeast and Chicago, my experience has been that the cost of living here is higher than many parts of the region and our neighboring cities.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by progmac

While we all know Cincinnati is cheap compared to cities in the northeast and Chicago, my experience has been that the cost of living here is higher than many parts of the region and our neighboring cities.

What part of the city are you comparing and to whom?

I feel Lexington costs less and that is mainly due to the cost of property. I have a daughter who lives in Paris Ky outside of Lexington. They recently bought a house with a large plot of land and many accompanyments like a real nice above ground pool and deck. Couldn't touch an equivalent home in the Greater Cincinnati Area for the price. The daughter and son-in-law love it. They are both teachers in the Bourbon Co. District where Paris is located.

I was reading another post earlier about the area around Union KY. It was touting a County Club which has homes up to $3M range. If I could afford $3M it certainly would not be in Union KY. Indian Hill here I come. For $3M I could probably purchase a home on Camargo County Club, one of the oldest and most prestigious courses in the area. It is so prestigious they don't have an annual dues. At the enf ot the year they add up the bills, divide by the membership, and send you a bill. If you have to complain you are in the wrong place.

[ohioaninsc]

From what I can tell Columbus has a very slightly higher cost of living than Cincinnati...Gas seems about 10-15 cents higher here...Rent for comparable apartments seems about $50/month higher...but AEP Electric rates are lower than Duke's it seems. Groceries are slightly cheaper here because Kroger actually has competition from Giant Eagle...Kroger has no competition in Cincy.

[jaupuc]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

I was reading another post earlier about the area around Union KY. It was touting a County Club which has homes up to $3M range. If I could afford $3M it certainly would not be in Union KY. Indian Hill here I come. For $3M I could probably purchase a home on Camargo County Club, one of the oldest and most prestigious courses in the area. It is so prestigious they don't have an annual dues. At the enf ot the year they add up the bills, divide by the membership, and send you a bill. If you have to complain you are in the wrong place.

And what's wrong with Union, exactly?

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by jaupuc

And what's wrong with Union, exactly?

Nothing is wrong with Union, it is just not a $3M neighborhood that is all.

[jaupuc]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Nothing is wrong with Union, it is just not a $3M neighborhood that is all.

We have the highest average per capita income & the highest property values in Boone county, it should be expected that people build big houses here. Not saying that people are rushing to Union to build $2M+ homes, but there are definitely quite a few here.