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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 3 of 3 cities in Pennsylvania beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Pittsburgh stands out at 95 on the index, with rent of $1,516/month and household income of $64,137. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
The numbers are clear: 3 of 3 cities in Pennsylvania beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Pittsburgh stands out at 95 on the index, with rent of $1,516/month and household income of $64,137. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Why Pittsburgh ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. It lines up with what you'd expect. At 95 on the cost index, residents save roughly 17% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,516/month — for better or worse — while the median household pulls in $64,137/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 87, though Healthcare (98) lags behind. Home prices average $230,723 — $236,647 below the national median.
If you only look at rent, it's perfect. Zoom out and it's complicated. In Pittsburgh, the healthcare index sits at 98 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about.
Real talk: If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
#1 Ranked: Pittsburgh — cost index 95, rent $1,516/mo, income $64,137
Pittsburgh rent up 3% over the past year
3 of 3 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Food & Groceries Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pittsburgh | 93 | 95 | $1,516 | Details |
| 2 | Philadelphia | 96 | 98 | $1,734 | Details |
| 3 | Allentown | 99 | 101 | $1,699 | Details |
303,255 residents · Pennsylvania
Here's Pittsburgh by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 95. Rent: $1,516/month. Income: $64,137/year. Home price: $230,723. Population: 303,255. The strongest category is Utilities at 87; the most expensive is Healthcare at 98. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,548 per year vs. the national median. The data here speaks for itself.
1,550,542 residents · Pennsylvania
The way we see it, What does daily life actually cost in Philadelphia? Start with the 34% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Utilities (index 90) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 101) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $60,698 and homes at $229,411 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
124,880 residents · Pennsylvania
The #3 spot goes to Allentown, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,699/month — saving renters $2,352 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 93, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 104. The 38% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended.
Cities are ranked by their food & groceries cost sub-index within Pennsylvania. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Pittsburgh ranks #1 in Pennsylvania for this analysis with a cost index of 95 and median income of $64,137.
Pittsburgh, PA has the lowest food & groceries index at 93, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Pittsburgh (ranked #1) has a cost index of 95 and rent of $1,516/mo, while Allentown (ranked #3) has a cost index of 101 and rent of $1,699/mo — a 6-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Pittsburgh is $1,516/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $379 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Pittsburgh is $230,723, which is 3.6× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Pennsylvania has a 3.07% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.34%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.36%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.