What it's like to live in Cleveland Heights
Cleveland Heights is a small city in Ohio with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, a highly educated workforce, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Cleveland Heights deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a population that has been shrinking, cold winters, and heavy snowfall.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- Shrinking population
- Cold winters
- Heavy snowfall — 64" per year
How Cleveland Heights compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Cleveland Heights
Based on Cleveland Heights's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,432
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $48,640 a year
- 49% of Cleveland Heights renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$38,420
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $19,210
- Homes cost 2.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 14% below US
$1,216/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,216 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $192,100. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $192,100 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 12% below US
3.8% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.8%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 26% below US
245 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1085/100k · Cleveland Heights Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 10% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.4 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 18% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 26°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 63% above US
59% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
11 public schools inside the boundary
There are 11 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is James A Garfield National Historic Site (15 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Cleveland Heights's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and a population that has been shrinking. A year of median rent ($1,216/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (18% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Cleveland Heights
All Ohio guides →Moving to East Cleveland →
2 mi away · pop. 13,534
Rent $776/mo · Income $22,116
Compare with Cleveland Heights →Moving to University Heights →
2 mi away · pop. 13,394
Rent $1,507/mo · Income $96,971
Compare with Cleveland Heights →Moving to South Euclid →
2 mi away · pop. 21,534
Rent $1,367/mo · Income $81,297
Compare with Cleveland Heights →Moving to Shaker Heights →
3 mi away · pop. 28,922
Rent $1,168/mo · Income $104,073
Compare with Cleveland Heights →Not sure Cleveland Heights is the one?
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