Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Wilkes-Barre's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
Index: 100 = US city average. Values >100 mean more expensive, <100 means cheaper.
How far does your salary go in Wilkes-Barre?
Your $100,000 in Wilkes-Barre has the same purchasing power as $115,741 in the average US city. You'd need $15,741 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 Wilkes-Barre's cost index of 86, sorted by closest match.
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania has a cost-of-living index of 86, which is 14% below the national average. The typical renter pays $897 per month. The median household earns $46,597 per year.
To match the lifestyle of a $70,000 earner in the average US city, you'd need about $60,480 per year in Wilkes-Barre. Single renters typically want at least three times the $10,764 threshold to cover housing comfortably.
Wilkes-Barre is cheaper than most US cities. Overall prices are 14% below the national average.