How Much Does It Cost to Live In Dayton, OH?
Dayton is a city in Southwest Ohio and the center of the Ohio metro area.
Since Dayton is a mid-sized city, it lacks the variety and number of opportunities, attractions, events, and diversity that are offered by larger cities.
The good thing, though, is that Dayton is centrally located between Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis, & Detroit, and is an easy drive should you want to visit those cities.
However, the best thing about Ohio’s cities is the cost of living: they are some of the cheapest places to live with nice homes, city life, and job opportunities and Dayton is no exception.
United States : Cost of Living by City
- Albany, NY
- Albuquerque, NM
- Anchorage, AK
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Arlington, TX
- Asheville, NC
- Atlanta, GA
- Austin, TX
- Bakersfield, CA
- Baltimore, MD
- Bellevue, WA
- Bellingham, WA
- Berkeley, CA
- Birmingham, AL
- Boise, ID
- Boston, MA
- Boulder, CO
- Brooklyn, NY
- Buffalo, NY
- Burlington, VT
- Charleston, SC
- Charlotte, NC
- Chattanooga, TN
- Chicago, IL
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Columbia, SC
- Columbus, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Dayton, OH
- Denver, CO
- Des Moines, IA
- Detroit, MI
- El Paso, TX
- Eugene, OR
- Everett, WA
- Fayetteville, AR
- Fort Myers, FL
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Fort Worth, TX
- Fresno, CA
- Gainesville, FL
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Greensboro, NC
- Hartford, CT
- Honolulu, HI
- Houston, TX
- Huntsville, AL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Irvine, CA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Jersey City, NJ
- Kansas City, MO
- Knoxville, TN
- Las Vegas, NV
- Lexington, KY
- Little Rock, AR
- Long Beach, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Louisville, KY
- Lubbock, TX
- Madison, WI
- Memphis, TN
- Miami, FL
- Milwaukee, WI
- Minneapolis, MN
- Nashville, TN
- New Orleans, LA
- New York, NY
- Oakland, CA
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Olympia, WA
- Orlando, FL
- Peoria, IL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Portland, ME
- Portland, OR
- Raleigh, NC
- Reno, NV
- Richmond, VA
- Rochester, NY
- Sacramento, CA
- Saint Louis, MO
- Saint Paul, MN
- Saint Petersburg, FL
- Salem, OR
- Salt Lake City, UT
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Springfield, MO
- Syracuse, NY
- Tacoma, WA
- Tallahassee, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Toledo, OH
- Tucson, AZ
- Tulsa, OK
- Vancouver, WA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Washington, DC
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Wichita, KS
RESTAURANTS
There are a number of good local restaurants in Dayton and it’s actually surprising how many good dining options there are for a city this size.
Dayton also offers an explosion of the craft brewery industry: namely, its beer scene is incredible and the beers are very cheap.
Many of the breweries offer dining options as well and they can be as cheap as 20$ a meal.
MARKETS
Cooking your own food will save you a whole lot of money.
Here you can find huge chains of supermarkets where you’ll find whatever you need.
Everything in these supermarkets is pretty cheap.
There are well-maintained air-conditioned malls and grocery stores scattered all around the city.
TRANSPORTATION
Travel in the region of Dayton is easy by car and you can move from the urban city to the rural county in minutes.
Then there’s the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority which offers a number of convenient bus routes.
A one-way ticket by bus is around 2.00$ which is a reasonable price for transportation in Ohio.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities are more expensive in most cities of Ohio.
The utilities there amount to around 136.8$ for a month for basic ones like electricity, water, cooling, heating, and garbage services in an apartment of 85m2.
Internet, however, is pretty expensive compared to this and especially compared to many other countries, costing around 66$.
SPORTS & LEISURE
The biking trail system is very good but if you prefer exercising outdoors Dallas offers, for example, a great climbing gym created from a converted cathedral.
Also, the crew club and kayaking on the river are great, so it truly has a great outdoor scene.
You can usually also find fitness centers around Dayton, and if you do, you will pay around 26$.
CLOTHING & SHOES
The Greene is an up-scale dining and shopping facility that has stores and restaurants ranging from Sephora and Coldwater Creek.
You can go there for a splendid shopping experience and you’ll be able to roam for hours.
The prices are relatively low – quality jeans cost around 56$, while summer dresses and shirts are around 40$.
RENT PER MONTH
You will truly enjoy living in downtown Dayton, as it is a hugely affordable place to live.
You can probably rent a two-bedroom house for around 1,037.00 $ a month – and that’s for the city center!
An apartment a bit further would cost around 680$ which is really low for an Ohio state and generally, for the USA.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Dayton, OH
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $20.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $8.00 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $1.40 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $0.85 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $2.69 |
| Eggs (12) | $3.06 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $2.00 |
| Monthly Pass | $55.00 |
| Gasoline | $0.88 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $136.8 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.10 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $66.87 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $26.00 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $30.0 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $12.00 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $56.67 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $40.00 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $82.50 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $1037.00 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $680.00 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $1566.67 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Dayton, OH?
As for the expenses, the biggest chunk of the paycheck of Dayton’s citizens gets spent on food – rent is definitely not the biggest expense here since it’s rather cheap, actually.
However, rent is the next huge expense since the standard is high in America for everything, and that goes for renting prices, too.
What is also high is the percentage of restaurant expenses like in most American cities.
The least percentage of one’s income gets spent on sports and on clothing and leisure, which is also pretty standard.
Average Costs Breakdown
Dayton, OH: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
The economy is on the upswing in Dayton, and it’s actually called a mecca for small and specialized manufacturing.
The industry here is booming, since Dayton is also supposed to be one of the best places for engineers in the US, though the ranking is skewed by the generally low cost of living in the area.
Employment opportunities are about average, and with one of the largest air force bases, there are lots of tech jobs.
The salaries are lower than usual, but so is the cost of living, and with an average salary of around 4150.00$, every citizen living in Dayton can save up and have enough for all basic expenses, as well as travel and leisure.
Dayton Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Dayton Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: LOW
- SCAMS RISK: LOW
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
