City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Asheville | Lancaster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,250/mo | $1,084/mo | 15.3% higher in A |
| Median home value | $376,800 | $179,500 | 109.9% higher in A |
| Median household income | $63,810 | $61,014 | 4.6% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 100.8 | 3.5% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 90.5 | 104.9 | 13.7% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 98.9 | 97.2 | 1.8% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.2 | 99.8 | 2.7% lower in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Asheville, you'd need $100,260 in Lancaster to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Asheville and Lancaster have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 4% lower in Lancaster than in Asheville. If you earn $80,000 in Asheville, you'd need about $80,208 in Lancaster to keep the same standard of living.