Columbus vs Bloomington leftover
Moving to Bloomington costs you $816 a month
$1,902/mo leftover in Bloomington vs $2,718 in Columbus after tax and rent ($816 less). −$9,792 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Columbus leftover
$2,718
a month after tax and rent
Bloomington leftover
$1,902
−$816 vs Columbus
Compare Columbus to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Columbus.
Monthly gap
Columbus → Bloomington
$816
less / month in Columbus
$1,902 in Bloomington · $2,718 in Columbus · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 55 households moved Columbus → Bloomington (avg AGI $60,055). 56 went the other way. The whole move →
−$816 / mo
| Per month | Columbus | Bloomington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,625 | $6,233 | −$1,392 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,903 | $1,427 | −$475 |
| Take-home pay | $5,722 | $4,806 | −$917 |
| Rent | $1,084 | $1,062 | −$22 |
| Getting around | $549 | $470 | −$79 |
| Groceries | $378 | $378 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $426 | $426 | $0 |
| Utilities | $237 | $237 | $0 |
| Everything else | $331 | $331 | $0 |
| Left over | $2,718 | $1,902 | −$816 |
To break even in Bloomington, you'd need to earn
$89,500
Household gross, versus $91,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Columbus does now.
The tax difference alone
+$752
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 25.0% in Columbus, 22.9% in Bloomington.
More about Bloomington
Columbus, IN in full
A flat 3% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,290 and 198 sunny days; commutes average 21 minutes.
Bloomington, IN in full
A flat 3% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,264 and 206 sunny days; commutes average 22 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Bloomington on Bloomington wages.
Bloomington → Columbus →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Bloomington than Columbus?
A one-bedroom is about $1,084 in Columbus versus $1,062 in Bloomington. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $816 a month lower in Bloomington. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Bloomington have state income tax?
Bloomington is in Indiana, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 1.50%.
What changes if you move from Columbus to Bloomington?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Indiana 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 Columbus and Bloomington 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.