Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Cost Of Living

A+

8%

Overall NAT. AVG.

5%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

35%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2023; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	National
Cost of living	92	99	100
Goods & Services	95	100	100
Groceries	108	104	100
Health care	95	101	100
Housing	65	91	100
Transportation	103	106	100
Utilities	131	106	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Pittsburgh is 7% lower than the Pennsylvania average
The cost of living in Pittsburgh is 8% lower than the national average
Pittsburgh housing is 35% lower than the national average
Pennsylvania general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
Pennsylvania state income tax is 36% 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

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$69,784	$5,815	$1,628	$2,094
Renters	$35,577	$2,965	$830	$1,067

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Pittsburgh, PA, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Pittsburgh, the median monthly income is $69,784 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,628 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $35,577, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $830 on monthly rental expenses.

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%

Goods & Services

Item	Pittsburgh	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$23.07	$22.08	4.5%
Beauty Salon	$37.03	$42.88	13.6%
Toothpaste	$2.42	$2.57	5.5%
Shampoo	$1.24	$1.15	7.8%
Movie	$11.32	$11.51	1.6%
Bowling	$15.57	$16.62	6.3%

Groceries

Item	Pittsburgh	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.87	$4.98	2.2%
Fried Chicken	$2.16	$1.58	36.1%
Milk	$2.50	$2.42	3.3%
Potatoes	$4.38	$3.54	23.8%
Pizza	$11.99	$11.49	4.4%
Beer	$9.99	$10.04	0.5%

Health Care

Item	Pittsburgh	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$96.58	$117.76	18.0%
Doctor	$98.25	$125.34	21.6%
Dentist	$112.80	$107.52	4.9%
Ibuprofen	$10.42	$10.26	1.6%
Lipitor	$476.68	$459.24	3.8%

Housing

Item	Pittsburgh	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$134,800.00	$184,700.00	27.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,633.81	$1,697.41	3.7%
Apartment Rent	$984.00	$949.00	3.7%

Transportation

Item	Pittsburgh	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.99	$3.85	3.8%
Tire Balancing	$59.17	$57.01	3.8%

Utilities

Item	Pittsburgh	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$268.67	$177.27	51.6%
Phone	$194.84	$189.62	2.8%

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	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Noblestown, PA	421	104	3.7%
Arnold City, PA	337	81	19.4%
Rankin, PA	1,948	81	19.1%
North Braddock, PA	4,703	81	18.5%
Braddock, PA	1,885	82	18.5%
Pittsburgh, PA	301,286	92	7.9%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Cincinnati, OH	302,687	92	8.3%
St. Louis, MO	304,709	85	15.5%
St. Paul, MN	305,877	99	1.0%
Greensboro, NC	294,395	89	11.1%
Gatineau, QC	293,695	n/a
Pittsburgh, PA	301,286	92	7.9%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2023; this is the most current data available.