Can a Climate Scientist afford to live in Columbus?

Excellent50% of take-home left to save — you can save aggressively here.
Median salary (gross)
Climate Scientist · Columbus
$82,350
Income tax (~24% effective)
United States
– $20,159
Take-home pay
$5,183/mo
$62,191
Living costs (1 person)
$2,580/mo · derived
– $30,960
Savings potential
$2,603/mo · 50% of take-home
$31,231

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in Columbus? →Compare Columbus with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: BLS OEWS 2025 metro-area survey median for Climate Scientist, adjusted for Columbus.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~24%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: derived from cost-of-living index for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.