Accountants & Auditors salary in Columbus, OH
Median pay for accountants & auditors in Columbus, OH: $78,830/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $51,320 – $128,320 · about 11,680 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($74,290) by +$4,540 (+6%).
What it's really worth in Columbus
With Columbus's cost of living at 95 (US=100), that $78,830 has the buying power of about $83,303 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $76,541 · median home $333,537 · median rent $1,524/mo.
How Columbus ranks for this job
On raw pay, Columbus, OH is 46th of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once Columbus's cost of living is applied, it ranks 22nd.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Columbus is one of the places where accountants & auditors gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Columbus
A median home in Columbus, OH costs $333,537 — about 4.2× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,524/mo works out at 23% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Columbus.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Columbus | Rent vs Columbus |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +45% | 2.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +32% | 2.1× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +32% | 2.3× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +23% | 1.6× |
Same job elsewhere in OH
| Metro | Median pay | vs Columbus | Rent vs Columbus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland, OH | $77,500 | −2% | 1× |
| Cincinnati, OH | $76,950 | −2% | 1× |
| Akron, OH | $74,230 | −6% | 0.8× |
| Toledo, OH | $73,100 | −7% | 0.9× |
Staying in OH keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires accountants & auditors around Columbus
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- JPMorgan Chase · Finance
Other jobs in Columbus
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.