When it comes to revitalizing its urban vibe, Columbus is better than Cleveland. There is the Short North, and there is the Downtown. There is even the German Village. All of these places are simply wonderful. And even in the summer, these places can be extraordinary. This is no wonder why most people choose Columbus over Cleveland any day.
Okay. So, let’s say you already got a job waiting in both cities. No matter which job you choose, you will be handsomely paid. It is all a matter of lifestyle. Should this be the case, which city would you choose?
Cleveland
Cleveland is a bit tougher. It has a grittier vibe to the city. This is something that is actually leftover from when the city was full of big industries.
Around the year 1970s, Cleveland was full of Fortune 500 companies. In fact, in the whole of America, the city came in third place. It was the third city with the greatest number of these companies on location.
The city also has a lot of American Indian inhabitants.
We don’t know what went wrong. But over the years, Cleveland shifted its focus to housing mid-sized firms. It was also booming with service industries. Letting go of some of these Fortune 500 companies that used to dot the city.
The city also has two of the biggest health centers in the country. Not only are they the biggest, but they are also two of the best. They can be two of the best in the whole world as well.
These are the Cleveland Clinic and the University Hospitals. Both are also affiliated with Case Western Reserve University.
The city is also near to many notable colleges and universities. Plus, it has specialty schools that are popular in their fields. One such institution is the Cleveland Institute of Music. The Cleveland Institute of Art is also something worthy of attention.
Another institution is the Case Western Reserve University. This is a world-class educational institution that specializes in sciences. Engineering and medicine are also the school’s expertise.
When it comes to the performing arts, Cleveland also has something to offer. The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the most famous worldwide. The same is true with the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Aside from that, there is the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. This is a first-rate natural history museum. All these and a lot more are in Cleveland.
Before we go to the next city, we must also note that Cleveland sees Broadway performances all the time. The city has professional repertoire theater companies. They perform in and out of the city all the time. As of this writing, there are a couple of them that does that.
Over the past few years, the city saw an increase in first-rate restaurants in town. There were gambling casinos, a zoo, and a lot more.
And then, if you are into sports, the city has two sports teams. One is the Cavaliers that play the NBA. The other is the Browns in the NFL.
The city of Cleveland has two parts. The Cuyahoga River divides the city into two parts. Mostly, the eastern side of the river is with African Americans as well as the Italians. And just a bit beyond the city limits lives the upper-middle-class Jewish communities.
This is also where the museums are. These places also have artsy neighborhoods.
The western side of the river is a bit on the traditionally ethnic side. This is also where the working-class whites live. Of course, there are also minorities living here. But the whites dominate this area.
If there is another thing about the eastern side of the river, it is poverty. This is considered to be one of the worst when it comes to poverty and crime areas in the US.
Columbus
On the other hand, Columbus is more of a Midwestern when it comes to its vibe. This is where the Ohio State University is. And so are 60,000 or so students. Columbus also has the government of the state of Ohio. There are banks and insurance companies.
Plus, retail chains also have their headquarters here.
Columbus is smaller than Cleveland. As such, there is always a small-town vibe when in Columbus.
When one has to highlight, it is that Cleveland feels like a metro. And it is a metro. Even when talking about its geographical size as well as its population.
When it comes to major art venues, Columbus is losing compared to Cleveland. As you already know by now, Cleveland has a symphony and a museum. It has an artist-y type of neighborhood. It even goes for 15 blocks or so. This starts from the OSU campus and goes way ahead into the downtown area.
This is what they call the Short North. This may even be one of the niftiest areas in town.
When it comes to its LGBTQ+ community, Columbus has a huge number of it. In fact, Columbus is popular for its large gay community. Also, the city is one of the five friendliest locations for the LGBTQ+ community in all of America.
Add to that is the great bar scene. With OSU around, the city has two of the most competitive college sports teams in the city. From a professional ice hockey tea and a minor league baseball team, they have it all. You indeed have a team to support when in Columbus.
The other thing about Columbus is its proximity to state highways. About an hour or so, you can easily reach the state highway’s east and southeast sections.
Is it expensive to live in Cleveland or Columbus?
In general, Cleveland is about 15.1% cheaper when compared with Columbus. The most glaring factor in this is the home rental cost. Even groceries, utilities, and healthcare are all cheaper in Cleveland than in Columbus.
When it comes to the cost of living, Cleveland’s is below the national average. When we peg the national average at 100, for example, Cleveland’s cost of living is at 77. This is great news for those that are planning to move to the city.
While that of Columbus is also below the national average, it is lower than Cleveland’s. Yes, housing expenses are 23% lower than the national numbers. The same is true with utility costs that are 22% lower than the national average.
Even gas prices are lower than that of the rest of the country. It is about 3% lower. Some items in the groceries are 1% lower than the national average.
But when one compares Columbus with Cleveland, the latter is cheaper. This is when it comes to the cost of living.
Let’s consider food and groceries, for example. When we peg the national average at 100, for example, food and groceries in Cleveland are at 93.5. The same commodities in Columbus are at 98.8. While both cities are lower than the national average, it is cheaper in Cleveland in this aspect.
There is a difference of about 5.4% when it comes to food and groceries.
When it comes to utility costs, Cleveland sits below the national average at 94.4. On the other hand, Columbus is higher than the national average, with a rating of 102.1. This is a 7.1% difference between the two.
The cost of transportation and healthcare are also no different.
When it comes to transportation costs, both sit below the national average. Meaning, both are cheaper than most of the country when it comes to transportation costs.
Columbus has a rating of 90.1, while Cleveland sits at 90.5. In this case, Columbus is cheaper. But at a 0.4% variance, the difference is not that significant.
Healthcare in Cleveland is cheaper than in Columbus. The numbers lie at 82.4 and 86.6 respectively. This means that Cleveland is 4.8% cheaper than Columbus when it comes to healthcare.
But what sets Cleveland apart when it comes to costs is its housing cost. Rentals in the city are way lower than the national average.
The difference between the two cities is a whopping 66.1% in favor of Cleveland. This puts Cleveland at an advantage when it comes to the cost of living.
This is considering that the cost of rent (or housing if you choose to) gets most of the budget chunk. As such, moving to Cleveland is advisable for those that aim to save more on costs.
Which is safer, Cleveland or Columbus?
Columbus has a larger population. But despite this, the city is safer compared to Cleveland. Columbus is safer than most cities of the same population size. With a population of almost 900 thousand inhabitants, it is actually ranked at 163rd. Compared to lesser populated cities like Cleveland, Columbus is safer.
If one looks at the population between Columbus and Cleveland, the former has more people. Following this mindset, one would think that Columbus is more dangerous. Because again, the more people there are, the more chances of crimes, right?
This time around, it is wrong.
Columbus has a population of 870,000. Cleveland has about 380,000 or so inhabitants. And yet, despite the large gap in population size, Columbus is way safer.
Columbus is ranked in 163rd place when it comes to the safest. Cleveland is at 178th place. This alone already speaks a lot about how safe Columbus is when compared to Cleveland.
Cleveland has a crime rate of 60 for every 1,000 inhabitants. This is putting Cleveland on the top percentage when it comes to the number of crimes. It is, in fact, one of the cities with the highest crime rates in the country.
The number of violent crimes for every 1,000 inhabitants in Cleveland is 15.22. And when it comes to property crimes, it is much higher. Property crime rates sit at 44.90 for every 1,000 inhabitants. Overall, the crime rate is at 60.12 for every 1,000 residents in this city.
When comparing Cleveland with the rest of Ohio, the city does not fare well either.
Looking at the numbers, we should emphasize that about 99% of Ohio is safer than Cleveland. This is a major disadvantage.
Some studies present Cleveland as a highly-dangerous city. This is because of its higher crime rates. There are even times when it is considered one of the 100 most dangerous cities in the US.
This then puts Columbus at an advantage.
With a crime rate of 39 for every 1,000 inhabitants, this is a fairly safe city to move to.
For every 1,000 residents, the rate for violent crimes is at 5.09. Property crimes sit at 33.78 counts for every 1,000 inhabitants. Overall, it is at 38.87 (or 39) for every 1,000 individuals in Columbus.
Despite this, Columbus has a higher crime rate. This is not to say that the city is 100% safe. No city is in that position yet.
Compared to cities of the same population size, Columbus has one of the highest numbers. And when comparing the city with the rest of Ohio, it does not do well as well.
95% of Ohio is safer than the city of Columbus.
But if you ask us which of the two is safer, the answer should be obvious. It is Columbus.
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When one looks at the way of life, Columbus is winning it over Cleveland. Cleveland has all the major advantages, especially when it comes to the cost of living. But overall, Columbus is better.
Columbus is larger. The city also has an urban vibe that is not so toxic and not too lax either.
And despite the higher cost of living (at least when compared to Cleveland), Columbus is safer.
This, we believe, is one of the most important aspects to consider.
With Cleveland’s crime rates soaring high, we think the better place to live in is Columbus.