Cost of Living & Housing in Portsmouth
Portsmouth's cost of living pairs genuinely, substantially affordable housing with a real 2.5% self-collected city income tax carrying a notably PARTIAL (50%-cap) resident credit, and a real, disclosed above-Ohio-average property tax rate.
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Learn moreGenuinely affordable housing, with a real, disclosed price spread
A ZIP-level (45662) Zillow typical home value ran $69,700 in 2026 (up 13.0% year-over-year), while a separate city-level citation put the median sale price notably higher, at $119,500 -- a real, disclosed spread this record attributes to a genuinely small, thin local sales sample rather than resolving to one number. Individual sales ranged widely, from $7,900 to $499,000 (base record).
A 2.5% self-collected city income tax with a notably PARTIAL resident credit
Portsmouth's city income tax rate increased to 2.5% effective January 1, 2016, self-collected by the city's own Income Tax Division. Residents subject to tax in another municipality receive a credit of only up to 50% of the amount owed to Portsmouth -- a real, notably partial credit structure, genuinely mirroring the one documented for Chillicothe elsewhere in this project (base record).
A real, disclosed above-Ohio-average property tax rate
Portsmouth's own median effective property tax rate ran 1.71% (45662 ZIP), while Scioto County's broader effective rate ran approximately 1.59% per a separate citation -- both figures genuinely above the Ohio statewide average (base record).
Ohio's real, flat 2.75% state income tax
House Bill 96 collapsed Ohio's prior graduated income tax schedule to a single flat 2.75% rate on income above a $26,050 exemption, effective for the 2026 tax year -- identical statewide, on top of Portsmouth's own local rate (base record).
Key takeaways
- Portsmouth's 2026 housing figures run genuinely affordable, though a real, disclosed spread across sources reflects a small, thin local market.
- Portsmouth's 2.5% city income tax is self-collected directly, with a real, notably partial (50%-cap) credit for tax paid to another municipality.
- Portsmouth's own property tax rate (1.71%) and Scioto County's broader rate (~1.59%) both run above the Ohio statewide average.
- Ohio's flat 2.75% state income tax applies on top of Portsmouth's own local rate.
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