Cost of living in Dayton, OH
The Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH metro area (821,740 people) ranks #118 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Dayton with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Dayton to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Cincinnati, OH, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Dayton: $78,200
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $78,200 in Dayton, OH to match $80,000 in Cincinnati, OH ($1,800 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in Ohio, so state income tax is the same; includes Cincinnati resident tax $1,440 and Dayton resident tax $2,000 (inside city limits).
What things cost in Dayton
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Dayton
On a $75,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $58,431 after 2026 federal tax ($7,670), Social Security and Medicare ($5,738) and Ohio income tax ($1,287), and $1,875 in Dayton resident income tax.
Dayton residents pay a 2.5% municipal income tax. Ohio city taxes are charged where you work as well as where you live, so anyone who works in Dayton pays 2.5% on those wages. Most suburban cities charge their own 1.5%–2.5% tax (2%–2.25% is typical; Beavercreek has none); people in unincorporated townships pay only the tax where they work.
Housing
| Measure | Dayton area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,119/mo |
| Median home value | $228,600 |
| Median property tax | $3,208/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,578 |
| Median household income | $72,711 |
Climate and jobs in Dayton
In the Dayton area the average January low is 22°F and the average July high 86°F, and the area has about 16 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.8% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $49,980 a year, 2% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 22°F |
| July high | 86°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 a year |
| Precipitation | 41 in a year |
| Snowfall | 25 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $49,980 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 372,660 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Dayton International Airport station (USW00093815). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Dayton
A single retiree spends about $3,043 a month here if they own their home outright, or $3,600 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Dayton
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Dayton area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 85 of 100), with expected losses of about $233 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Ohio.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Dayton?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $73,000 in Dayton. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $44,760, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $67,617.
Is Dayton expensive?
The Dayton metro area's price level is 92.7 (U.S. = 100), #118 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 72.7, 27% below the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Dayton?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Dayton had a net loss of about 705 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Dayton?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Dayton area (Dayton International Airport weather station), the average January low is 22°F and the average July high 86°F. The area has about 16 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 41 inches of precipitation a year and about 25 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Dayton?
The Dayton metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.8% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $49,980 a year in May 2025, 2% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Dayton?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 85). The highest relative risks are ice storm, strong wind, cold wave.
Compare Dayton with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Moving from Ohio