Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Bethlehem's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Bethlehem?
Your $100,000 in Bethlehem has the same purchasing power as $98,039 in the average US city. You'd need $1,961 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Bethlehem's cost index of 102, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Bethlehem usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: among the safer us cities of its size, daily errands don't require a car, plus 2 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
Bethlehem reports roughly 1,010 crime incidents per 100,000 residents, well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. As always, citywide numbers paper over real differences between neighborhoods — but the broader trend here is on the calmer end of the US distribution.
Bethlehem earns a Walk Score of 69/100 — above the US median, with denser neighborhoods scoring higher than the citywide aggregate suggests. A car is still useful for longer trips, but everyday life works on foot for a lot of residents.
Bethlehem's air quality index averages about 43 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Bethlehem is about 23 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
Reasons are pulled from Bethlehem's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Snow is a regular feature, not a surprise. With winter temperatures hovering near 28°F, Bethlehem sees enough snowfall that locals don't think twice about it but also enough mild stretches that nobody owns three pairs of boots.
Cold but workable. Winter in Bethlehem averages about 28°F — colder than the national norm, mild compared to the upper Midwest. A solid coat handles most days; the genuine cold snaps are short.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Bethlehem runs about 86°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Zone 8, give or take a half-zone. Bethlehem's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 8 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
Bethlehem sits at about 351 feet (107 m) above sea level — low-lying, but with enough cushion that day-to-day life isn't affected by ocean levels.
By the numbers, yes. Bethlehem reports roughly 1,010 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. The big caveat applies as always: every city has neighborhoods that look nothing like the citywide average. But the citywide average here is genuinely good.
Roughly average. Bethlehem's cost-of-living index is 102, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Somewhat. Bethlehem earns a Walk Score of 69/100 — many daily errands are doable on foot, especially in the denser neighborhoods, but a car still helps for longer trips. Transit Score is 38 out of 100.
Roughly $71,400 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Bethlehem runs about $1,218/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.