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 | Dallas | Lancaster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,305/mo | $1,084/mo | 20.4% higher in A |
| Median home value | $270,700 | $179,500 | 50.8% higher in A |
| Median household income | $63,985 | $61,014 | 4.9% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 99.1 | 100.8 | 1.6% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 85.9 | 104.9 | 18.1% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 95.9 | 97.2 | 1.4% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.7 | 99.8 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Dallas, you'd need $93,167 in Lancaster to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Lancaster, PA is about 6.8% cheaper overall than Dallas, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 19% lower in Lancaster than in Dallas. If you earn $80,000 in Dallas, you'd need about $74,533 in Lancaster to keep the same standard of living.