Cost of living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania has about 57,719 people. Typical rent is $1,240 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $63,690 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.
Ranked #222 in Pennsylvania on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,240 a month.
Lancaster is a city in Pennsylvania. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $63,690 a year.
- People
- 57,719
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,240
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $63,690
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $219,500
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,553
- Lancaster, PA MSA
Lancaster, Pennsylvania has about 57,719 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $219,500.
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 Lancaster. 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 Lancaster'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 Lancaster bill.
In July 2026, a typical Pennsylvania home paid 21.72¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Lancaster'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, 286 have higher typical rent than Lancaster.
Nearby places
- Millersville
Typical rent $1,369
Compare with Lancaster - Lampeter
Typical rent $1,442
Compare with Lancaster - Willow Street
Typical rent $2,672
Compare with Lancaster - East Petersburg
Typical rent $1,341
Compare with Lancaster - Landisville
Typical rent $992
Compare with Lancaster - Leola
Typical rent $1,459
Compare with Lancaster - Mountville
Typical rent $1,131
Compare with Lancaster - Strasburg
Typical rent $1,119
Compare with Lancaster
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.