What salary do you need to live in Cincinnati, OH?
For a single person: about $67,000/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose OH-taxed take-home covers roughly $1,353 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and an effective 1.8% Ohio income tax.
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Cincinnati worker earns about $50,170/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $55,000 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 9% short.
Single person — est. essentials $3,703/mo
Tight
take-home covers $3,703/mo
$55,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $4,444/mo
$67,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $5,555/mo
$87,000/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $5,086/mo
Tight
take-home covers $5,086/mo
$74,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $6,103/mo
$90,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $7,629/mo
$114,500/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $6,255/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,255/mo
$92,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,506/mo
$112,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $9,383/mo
$144,500/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $7,134/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,134/mo
$106,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,561/mo
$129,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $10,701/mo
$169,000/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($1,353) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Ohio's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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