Living in Columbus, IN
Small city in Indiana
Columbus is a small city in Indiana, home to about 51,000 people, with 275,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Columbus a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $267k and rents for $1,700 a month
- Safe: violent crime is 0.4× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Low natural disaster risk: 4 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Strong healthcare: 4 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
- Cloudier than most places
- Fewer graduates: 41% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Columbus ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Columbus: common questions
What is the cost of living in Columbus?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $267k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 93, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Columbus?
Indiana collects about $1,275 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.83% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Columbus safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.4× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Columbus?
Columbus has cold winters: winter days average around 42°F and summer days around 85°F, with roughly 16″ of snow a year.
Does Columbus get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and tornadoes: 4 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.64 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Columbus?
The nearest major airport is IND, about 40 mi away.
How Columbus scores
Each bar compares Columbus with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Columbus right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.