Northeast ranking
12 Pennsylvania cities ranked by cost of living, cheapest first.
Index 82
Index 109
Sorted by cost-of-living index — lowest (most affordable) first.
| # | City | Cost index | Median rent | Median income | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erie | 82 | $809/mo | $43,135 | 95K | Compare → |
| 2 | Wilkes-Barre | 86 | $897/mo | $46,597 | 44K | Compare → |
| 3 | Scranton | 86 | $933/mo | $48,776 | 76K | Compare → |
| 4 | Pittsburgh | 89 | $1,153/mo | $60,187 | 304K | Compare → |
| 5 | York | 91 | $943/mo | $42,351 | 45K | Compare → |
| 6 | Reading | 93 | $942/mo | $42,852 | 95K | Compare → |
| 7 | Lancaster | 97 | $1,084/mo | $61,014 | 58K | Compare → |
| 8 | Harrisburg | 98 | $944/mo | $46,654 | 50K | Compare → |
| 9 | Allentown | 102 | $1,202/mo | $52,449 | 125K | Compare → |
| 10 | Bethlehem | 102 | $1,218/mo | $62,072 | 77K | Compare → |
| 11 | Philadelphia | 106 | $1,250/mo | $57,537 | 1.6M | Compare → |
| 12 | Levittown | 109 | $1,398/mo | $97,750 | 51K | Compare → |
Why do people move to Pennsylvania? The most common reasons line up with what the data and geography support: living costs come in under the national baseline, erie is one of the most affordable cities in the us, plus 2 more. The rest is below.
Averaged across the cities we have data for, Pennsylvania's composite cost-of-living index is about 95 — a comfortable 5% under the US norm. The cheapest cities in the state run even further below. Average median rent across Pennsylvania cities runs about $1,064/mo.
The cheapest city in Pennsylvania we have data for is Erie, sitting at a cost-of-living index of 82 — about 18% under the US average. If affordability is the priority, Pennsylvania gives you a real option, not a "well, this town is technically here" caveat.
Philadelphia (population about 1,593,208) gives Pennsylvania a genuine major-city anchor. Big airports, headquartered employers, professional sports, specialty hospitals, and the kind of job market you don't get in mid-sized towns — and you can live close to it or an hour away, depending on the lifestyle you want.
Pennsylvania sits on the Great Lakes — Lake Michigan, Erie, Huron, Superior, or Ontario, depending on which corner of the state you're in. The lakes mean real beaches, real summer water activities, and a moderating effect on inland weather that the rest of the Midwest doesn't get.
Reasons reflect aggregated city data for Pennsylvania (Census ACS, BLS, BEA) plus well-known state-level geography. We only list points that are actually supported — different states show different sections.
Across Pennsylvania, Erie is the most affordable city we track (cost index 82, with median rent around $809/mo), while Levittown sits at the top of the range with an index of 109—roughly 33% pricier than Erie. Use the table above to compare any Pennsylvania city directly against Erie.
The other end of the ranking — priciest first.