Best PlacesSouthside Columbus, Columbus, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Southside Columbus, Columbus, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Southside Columbus, Columbus ranks 493rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Southside Columbus, Columbus
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Southside Columbus, Columbus' strengths and weaknesses
Where Southside Columbus, Columbus ranks high
- BikingBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Short commute16.1 minutes each way, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
Where Southside Columbus, Columbus ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 23% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 29% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 36% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Southside Columbus, Columbus
A household needs to earn about $148,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Southside Columbus, Columbus home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $113,156, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Southside Columbus, Columbus' effective rate of 1.34%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Southside Columbus, Columbus
Southside Columbus, Columbus runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Southside Columbus, Columbus.
Who works in Southside Columbus, Columbus, and how
Work in Southside Columbus, Columbus centers on health care & social and finance & insurance. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 62%
- Work from home 28%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in Southside Columbus, Columbus
Southside Columbus, Columbus has more restaurants and bars per resident than 75% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Southside Columbus, Columbus and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Southside Columbus, Columbus, month by month
Southside Columbus, Columbus sees roughly 57 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 31° | 23° |
| April | 67° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 88° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 71° | 58° | 46° |
Flying in and out of Southside Columbus, Columbus
John Glenn Columbus International sits about 6 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 4.4 million passengers in 2025, with 94 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Southside Columbus, Columbus
Schools across Southside Columbus, Columbus average a C, better than 37% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Ecole Kenwood French ImmersionB · 48% proficient
- Stewart Alternative Elementary SchoolC · 30% proficient
- South Columbus Preparatory Academy At German VillageC− · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Columbus City Preparatory School For GirlsC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Columbus North International School (7-12)D · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Southside Columbus, Columbus school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Southside Columbus, Columbus measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Southside Columbus, Columbus against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Southside Columbus, Columbus
Is Southside Columbus, Columbus a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Southside Columbus, Columbus ranks 493rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on biking, cheap car insurance, and short commutes, and lowest on the weather and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Southside Columbus, Columbus expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $528,547. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $113,156 median income, cost of living beats 94% of neighborhoods.
Is Southside Columbus, Columbus safe?
Southside Columbus, Columbus is safer than 39% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $473 per resident a year.
Compare Southside Columbus, Columbus with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Southside Columbus, Columbus. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Southside Columbus, Columbus represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Southside Columbus, Columbus detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Southside Columbus, Columbus: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Southside Columbus, Columbus: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Southside Columbus, Columbus: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Southside Columbus, Columbus: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Southside Columbus, Columbus detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.