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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.
The #1 spot goes to Pittsburgh, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,516/month — saving renters $4,548 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 87, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 98. A 28% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
The transportation sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 93 (the top-10 average here) means transportation costs are about 7% below the national median. Pittsburgh leads at 90, followed by Philadelphia (93) and Allentown (96). Note: a low transportation index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below (your mileage may vary — literally).
Pittsburgh rent up 3% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Pittsburgh has increased from $1,467 to $1,516/mo over the past 12 months — a 3% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. Not even close to the national average.
The other side of the coin: State context matters: Pennsylvania's 3 cities average a 98 cost index with $1,650/month median rent and $59,413 household income. Philadelphia's corridor versus Appalachian values. Look at what happens when you add healthcare costs.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way).
#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 | Transportation Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pittsburgh | 90 | 95 | $1,516 | Details |
| 2 | Philadelphia | 93 | 98 | $1,734 | Details |
| 3 | Allentown | 96 | 101 | $1,699 | Details |
303,255 residents · Pennsylvania
The #1 spot goes to Pittsburgh, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,516/month — saving renters $4,548 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 87, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 98. A 28% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
1,550,542 residents · Pennsylvania
Dive into Philadelphia's numbers: cost index 98 (14 points below national average), rent $1,734/month, income $60,698, and a home price of $229,411. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 90, while Healthcare runs 101. As a major city with 1,550,542 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
124,880 residents · Pennsylvania
A closer look at Allentown: the cost index of 101 breaks down to a Utilities index of 93 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 104 (weakest). Median rent is $1,699/month — 10% below the national median — while household income sits at $53,403, meaning locals spend about 38% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median.
Cities are ranked by their transportation 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 transportation index at 90, 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.