Known for being home to the Ohio State Buckeyes,
Columbus delivers the big city amenities while still maintaining its Midwest charm. As you might imagine, living downtown can get a little pricy. Fortunately, there are tons of other options in the local area that won’t cost you and arm and a leg.
Here are the 10 most affordable suburbs in the Columbus region.
1. Huber Ridge
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $62,000
- Median home value: $118,500
Huber Ridge is a small town of less than 5,000 residents, but the high median income and low home prices earn it the top spot on our list of most affordable Columbus suburbs. At only 15 minutes away from the city via I-670 W, Huber Ridge is great for commuters looking to work downtown while still getting a little separation from the big city life.
2. Blacklick Estates
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $49,816
- Median home value: $95,400
Another small town in the Columbus area, the homes in Blacklick Estates (not to be confused with
Blacklick proper) are roughly half the cost of the national average, which tends to be around $190,000.
The cost of living is also very low in Blacklick Estates, scoring an 86 on the cost of living index with 100 being average America. To put that in perspective, if you live in Blacklick Estates, you’ll be spending roughly half as much as you would if you were in places like
New York City, where their cost of living score is a whopping 167.
Key Stats:
- Median home value: $144,100
- Income spent on rent : 24.6 percent
Home to significant operations of huge companies like Air Tahoma, Staber Industries, Amazon.com, FedEx, and Eddie Bauer, the economy is doing quite well in Groveport. Despite the many industries in this town, probably thanks to the presence of Rickenbacker International Airport, Groveport is able to maintain its small town feel, with it’s population of only 5,000.
It’s also worth mentioning that the schools in this area are very good, boasting a 13-to-1 student to teacher ratio and an 89 percent graduation rate, both numbers significantly better than
Ohio averages.
Key Stats:
- Income spent on rent: 23 percent
- Median household income: $90,259
.
A tiny village of only 1,500, Commercial Point is one of the smallest affordable suburbs of Columbus. Strictly looking at just the numbers, homes are a little more expensive here, averaging around $170,000. However, when you take into account that median incomes in this area are nearly three times higher than those found in some of the towns on this list, it’s easy to see why things are a little pricy.
This is definitely one of the nicer affordable suburbs of Columbus, but it’s still not outrageous, with a cost of living score of 90, it’s still 10 points lower in Commercial Point than the national average. This suburb is another place to get a great bang for your buck.
Key Stats:
- Income spent on rent: 27 percent
- Median home value: $160,100
Known for becoming a “bedroom community” of Columbus throughout the 20th century, Grove City’s close proximity to downtown means that a lot of people will be commuting. However, these days commuting isn’t all the happens.
The larger population here of over 35,000 means that you can expect a lively community that hosts special events on a regular basis. It’s also important to note that Grove City has a great public school system with a graduation rate of a very high 91 percent.
Key Stats:
- Income spent on rent: 23.5 percent
- Median home value: $149,100
Despite its small size, Ashville has tons of personality. First, it’s home to a strange historic traffic light that the town is very proud of, an image of which you’ll see on everything from welcome sign to T-Shirts at the local gift shop.
Ashville is also home to a few awesome festivals, like its famous Fourth of July celebration, which has been featured in publications including the New York Times, as well as the Ashville Viking Festival, a party built around exploring the bearded warriors of the 10th century that you’ve heard so much about.
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $65,593
- Median home value: $161,200
Pataskala makes the cut for our list thanks to the high incomes and low rent in this area. It’s a little further away from Columbus than most of our featured affordable suburbs, 20 miles east of the city down I-70.
However, keep in mind that the 30 minute drive to downtown from here is still considered a commutable distance and the extra separation helps give this city it’s own unique feel. It should also mentioned that the crime rate in Pataskala is nearly half of what it is in Columbus, also making this affordable suburb a safe place to live.
8. Minerva Park
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $69,167
- Median home value: $160,300
Notable for its lively community, Minerva Park is home to 1,272 residents who love to stay involved in keeping their village fun. They host several events throughout the year, including a children’s Christmas party, a Christmas carriage ride, and a Founders Day event at the local pool, featuring a picnic, music, and activities for all ages. If you love that small town feel the Midwest is famous for, Minerva Park might be the place for you.
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $33,311
- Median home value: $90,900
Nestled southeast of Columbus, Whitehall is noteworthy for having the lowest cost of living on our list, scoring a very low 84 points on the same cost of living scale that put average America at 100. In other words, things are cheaper here, especially housing, which is less than half of the national average.
Thanks to Whitehall’s close proximity to Columbus, they also host a variety of special events throughout the year that draw huge crowds, like the Whitehall Food Truck and Fun Festival, an event that features around 30 food trucks, live music, and a kids’ area with games.
10. Lincoln Village
Key Stats:
- Median household income: $38,831
- Median home value: $101,400
Lincoln Village has a pretty interesting history behind it. It was actually started in the 1950s by a real estate subsidiary of Nationwide Insurance as a planned community. This meant that, as it was developed, it was designed to have all the essentials easily accessible to residents of the town, from a mall to schools to several parks. Today, they’ve still got a great number of amenities that the residents can enjoy, including the beautiful Carle Frye Park.
Our Methodology
To create this list of affordable Columbus suburbs, took a look at the following criteria:
- Cost of living
- Median home value
- Percentage of income spent on rent
- Affordability ratio (median home value divided by median household income)
We then averaged those scores into an overall score and the places with the 10 lowest scores made up our list of the most affordable Columbus suburbs.
For this list, we sourced data from
AreaVibes, business listings, and the 2013 U.S. Census American Community Survey.
Want to see how all 28 Columbus suburbs stacked up? Take a look at the table below:
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