Bismarck vs Lima leftover
Moving to Lima costs you $1,089 a month
$2,246/mo leftover in Lima vs $3,335 in Bismarck after tax and rent ($1,089 less). −$13,068 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Bismarck leftover
$3,335
a month after tax and rent
Lima leftover
$2,246
−$1,089 vs Bismarck
Compare Bismarck to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Bismarck.
Monthly gap
Bismarck → Lima
$1,089
less / month in Bismarck
$2,246 in Lima · $3,335 in Bismarck · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$1,089 / mo
| Per month | Bismarck | Lima | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,917 | $6,725 | −$1,192 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,700 | $1,555 | −$146 |
| Take-home pay | $6,216 | $5,170 | −$1,047 |
| Rent | $1,084 | $977 | −$107 |
| Getting around | $534 | $589 | +$55 |
| Groceries | $348 | $375 | +$27 |
| Healthcare | $392 | $422 | +$30 |
| Utilities | $218 | $234 | +$16 |
| Everything else | $305 | $328 | +$23 |
| Left over | $3,335 | $2,246 | −$1,089 |
To break even in Lima, you'd need to earn
$100,500
Household gross, versus $95,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Bismarck does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,494
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.5% in Bismarck, 23.1% in Lima.
More about Lima
Bismarck, ND in full
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,290 and 196 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
Lima, OH in full
State income tax topping out at 3.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,163 and 183 sunny days; commutes average 19 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Lima on Lima wages.
Lima → Bismarck →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Lima than Bismarck?
A one-bedroom is about $1,084 in Bismarck versus $977 in Lima. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,089 a month lower in Lima. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Lima have state income tax?
Lima is in Ohio, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 2.00%.
What changes if you move from Bismarck to Lima?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Ohio tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Bismarck and Lima moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.