Moving from Washington to Cleveland
Moving to Cleveland costs you $238 a month
−$2,856 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Washington leftover
$2,883
a month after tax and rent
Cleveland leftover
$2,645
−$238 vs Washington
In 2022-2023, 255 households moved Washington → Cleveland (avg AGI $100,098). 286 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Washington | Cleveland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,667 | $7,406 | −$2,261 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,752 | $1,826 | −$926 |
| Take-home pay | $6,914 | $5,580 | −$1,335 |
| Rent | $1,929 | $1,100 | −$829 |
| Getting around | $463 | $515 | +$52 |
| Groceries | $452 | $364 | −$88 |
| Healthcare | $508 | $410 | −$98 |
| Utilities | $283 | $228 | −$55 |
| Everything else | $395 | $319 | −$76 |
| Left over | $2,883 | $2,645 | −$238 |
To break even in Cleveland, you'd need to earn
$93,500
Household gross, versus $116,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Washington does now.
The tax difference alone
+$3,070
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 28.5% in Washington, 24.7% in Cleveland.
More about Cleveland
Washington, DC in full
Recession-resistant government and consulting pay, humid summers, real transit.
Cleveland, OH in full
World-class hospitals and an orchestra, at the lowest rents of any large metro.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Cleveland on Cleveland wages.
Cleveland → Washington →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Cleveland than Washington?
A one-bedroom is about $1,929 in Washington versus $1,100 in Cleveland. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $238 a month lower in Cleveland. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Cleveland have state income tax?
Cleveland is in Ohio, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 2.50%.
What changes if you move from Washington to Cleveland?
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.
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.