Mechanical Engineers salary in Columbus, OH

Median pay for mechanical engineers in Columbus, OH: $95,620/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $64,800 – $137,490 · about 2,430 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($95,605) by +$15 (+0%).

What it's really worth in Columbus

With Columbus's cost of living at 95 (US=100), that $95,620 has the buying power of about $101,046 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $76,541 · median home $333,537 · median rent $1,524/mo.

Full Columbus cost of living & taxes →

How Columbus ranks for this job

On raw pay, Columbus, OH is 90th of the 180 metros we hold mechanical engineers wages for. Once Columbus's cost of living is applied, it ranks 67th.

Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Columbus is one of the places where mechanical engineers 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 3.5× 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 19% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where mechanical engineers 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	$153,520	+61%	2.4×
San Francisco, CA	$136,970	+43%	2.1×
Albuquerque, NM	$133,660	+40%	1×
Tyler, TX	$130,720	+37%	0.9×

Same job elsewhere in OH

Metro	Median pay	vs Columbus	Rent vs Columbus
Cincinnati, OH	$100,890	+6%	1×
Toledo, OH	$93,740	−2%	0.9×
Cleveland, OH	$92,920	−3%	1×
Akron, OH	$82,850	−13%	0.8×

Staying in OH keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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