Cost Of Living In West Chester, PA

West Chester cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	West Chester	Pennsylvania	National
Cost of living index	122	100	100
Index	West Chester	Pennsylvania	National
Goods & Services index	110	99	100
Groceries index	108	102	100
Health care index	101	90	100
Housing index	157	93	100
Transportation index	99	109	100
Utilities index	109	115	100

Displayed above is a general overview of the West Chester, PA cost of living index. The overall cost of living index in West Chester, PA is 122, which is 23% higher than the Pennsylvania average and 22% higher than the national average. The cost of living index is created from the following categories: goods/services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). As you can see, goods/services and housing make up the majority of the overall cost of living index. Everyday goods and services can be a good indicator of the general cost of goods in a given city. In this case, the goods and services in West Chester, PA are 11% higher than the Pennsylvania average and 10% higher than the national average.

Did you know?

The cost of living in West Chester is 23% higher than the Pennsylvania average.
The cost of living in West Chester is 22% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in West Chester is 57% higher than the national average.
Pennsylvania general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average.
Pennsylvania state income tax is 38% higher than the national average.

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Using the salary calculator lets you compare the salary you earn in West Chester, PA to what it is in other cities. It will let you know what your earnings would have to be in another city to have the same standard of living, as determined by the cost of living in each city. For example, if the cost of living in the area you want to move to is higher than the cost of living in West Chester, PA, you have to earn a higher income in order to still have the same standard of living. To operate the West Chester, PA salary calculator, put in the name of the other city, then move the slider to the point that represents the current income. The salary calculator will take care of the rest and tell you how much more or less you must earn in the new city. A Total breakdown of the cost of living is also provided.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$86,096	$7,175	$2,009	$2,583
Renters	$35,677	$2,973	$832	$1,070

The percent of monthly income spent on housing can be a good indicator of the affordability of housing in West Chester, PA as well as the overall cost of living. As a general rule of thumb, the debt-to-income ratio (DTI) for homeowners or renters should be not more than 28 percent of gross income to be spent on housing related costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses, including debts. The median income for West Chester, PA homeowners, is $86,096. This would allow for a maximum of $2,009 per month to be spent on housing costs. For renters, the median monthly income is $35,677 which would result in a maximum of $832 to be spent on rental costs.

Pennsylvania Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Pennsylvania	6%	8%

Pennsylvania Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Pennsylvania	3.07%	3.07%

One thing to keep in mind when considering the cost of living in West Chester, PA is the Pennsylvania sales tax and Pennsylvania income tax rates. Sales taxes are taxes that are collected on most goods or services sold. Sales taxes can vary by state and can be as high as 7% and as low as 0% as not every state imposes a sales tax. The Pennsylvania sales tax rate is 6% and the maximum surtax that can be charged is 8%. Income tax is the tax imposed on income by both the federal and state government. The income tax rates varies by individual state and will also be higher or lower depending on the applicable tax bracket. The rates of state income tax can vary from 0% to more than 9%. The Pennsylvania income tax rates range from 3.07% to 3.07%.

Goods & Services

Item	West Chester	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$12.58	$15.56	19.2%
Beauty Salon	$39.00	$36.11	8.0%
Toothpaste	$2.96	$2.47	19.6%
Shampoo	$1.03	$0.96	6.7%
Movie	$11.70	$10.13	15.5%
Bowling	$4.67	$4.74	1.4%

Groceries

Item	West Chester	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.88	$3.98	22.4%
Fried Chicken	$1.78	$1.41	26.3%
Milk	$2.03	$2.06	1.6%
Potatoes	$3.77	$2.98	26.5%
Pizza	$9.61	$9.47	1.4%
Beer	$9.66	$8.79	9.8%

Health Care

Item	West Chester	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$127.50	$101.04	26.2%
Doctor	$83.94	$107.44	21.9%
Dentist	$98.50	$90.42	8.9%
Ibuprofen	$9.59	$9.28	3.3%
Lipitor	$442.05	$426.50	3.6%

Housing

Item	West Chester	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$301,400.00	$175,700.00	71.5%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,226.29	$1,133.23	8.2%
Apartment Rent	$1,125.00	$920.00	22.3%

Transportation

Item	West Chester	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$1.93	$1.99	3.1%
Tire Balancing	$47.78	$45.76	4.4%

Utilities

Item	West Chester	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$184.77	$163.81	12.8%
Phone	$29.95	$28.39	5.5%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Cheyney University, PA	929	107	7%
Chester, PA	34,007	91	-9%
Upland, PA	3,248	93	-7%
Marcus Hook, PA	2,430	94	-6%
Eagleville, PA	292	98	-2%
West Chester, PA	18,860	122	22%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Claremore, OK	18,849	90	-10%
Syosset, NY	18,872	176	76%
Johnston, IA	18,874	103	3%
Ruskin, FL	18,846	94	-6%
Carlisle, PA	18,877	98	-2%
West Chester, PA	18,860	122	22%

Source: The West Chester, PA cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for the fourth quarter of 2016.

West Chester, PA Cost of Living