Cost of living in Columbia, Pennsylvania
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,075 a month.
Columbia is a borough in Pennsylvania. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $54,437 a year.
- People
- 10,278
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,075
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $54,437
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $196,500
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,553
- Lancaster, PA MSA
Columbia, Pennsylvania has about 10,278 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $196,500.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Lancaster County is $1,553 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Columbia. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the Lancaster, PA metro area, prices sit at 98.3 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.
Pennsylvania taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 6.3% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Columbia's exact store tax.
Some places in Pennsylvania add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 0.99% of income. That is not a Columbia bill.
In July 2026, a typical Pennsylvania home paid 21.72¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Columbia's bill.
EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Pennsylvania in the table we use.
Among 873 places we list in Pennsylvania with a rent figure, 430 have higher typical rent than Columbia.
Nearby places
- Wrightsville
Typical rent $1,052
Compare with Columbia - Mountville
Typical rent $1,131
Compare with Columbia - Marietta
Typical rent $1,020
Compare with Columbia - Maytown
Typical rent $1,712
Compare with Columbia - Mount Joy
Typical rent $1,182
Compare with Columbia - Salunga
Typical rent $980
Compare with Columbia - Landisville
Typical rent $992
Compare with Columbia - Hallam
Typical rent $1,424
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Pennsylvania
Bigger places in Pennsylvania
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.