Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Reading's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Reading?
Your $100,000 in Reading has the same purchasing power as $106,963 in the average US city. You'd need $6,963 less 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 Reading's cost index of 93, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Reading, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously cheaper than the national average, with no fine print and lower-than-average crime numbers, plus 2 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Reading sits at 93 on the composite cost-of-living index — about 7% under the national average. Not the cheapest place in the country, but enough of a discount to notice on rent and groceries every month. Median rent in town runs about $942/mo against a typical household income of $42,852, which is the kind of ratio that leaves room to save.
Reading reports about 1,853 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
Reading's Walk Score is 90/100 — top-tier walkability by US standards. Groceries, coffee, work, social life: most of it lands within reasonable foot range of wherever you live. A lot of residents skip car ownership entirely, which is its own form of savings on top of the lifestyle change.
The average one-way commute in Reading is about 24 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 Reading'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.
Yes, several times a winter. Reading's winter average of about 28°F sits right around freezing, so storms typically drop real snow that lingers a few days before slush sets in.
Cold but workable. Winter in Reading 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 Reading runs about 86°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 8. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 8 or colder should survive a typical winter in Reading. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
Reading sits at about 276 feet (84 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. Reading reports roughly 1,853 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. Reading's cost-of-living index is 93, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Genuinely so. Reading's Walk Score of 90 out of 100 puts it in "Walker's Paradise" territory — daily errands don't require a car at all. Many residents skip car ownership entirely.
Roughly $65,443 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 Reading runs about $942/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.