Can a Certified Public Accountant afford to live in Columbus?

Excellent50% of take-home left to save — you can save aggressively here.
Median salary (gross)
Certified Public Accountant · Columbus
$81,700
Income tax (~24% effective)
United States
– $19,930
Take-home pay
$5,148/mo
$61,770
Living costs (1 person)
$2,580/mo · derived
– $30,960
Savings potential
$2,568/mo · 50% of take-home
$30,810

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 Certified Public Accountant, 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.