Cost of living in State College, Pennsylvania

State College, Pennsylvania has about 41,050 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $437,800.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Centre County is $1,537 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in State College. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the State College, PA metro area, prices sit at 96.8 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 State College'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 State College bill.

In July 2026, a typical Pennsylvania home paid 21.72¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not State College's bill.

EIA does not publish a Pennsylvania gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Central Atlantic (PADD 1B) all-grades price was $4.470 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $2,145.60 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Pennsylvania shares this price.

Among 873 places we list in Pennsylvania with a rent figure, 266 have higher typical rent than State College.