Skip to content
Cost & Benefits

Compare / Philadelphia to Pittsburgh

Philadelphia, PA vs Pittsburgh, PA

Simple answer

You'd likely save $471 a month in Pittsburgh.

This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.

The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 41.2 points (Philadelphia 113.1, Pittsburgh 72.0).

Pennsylvania taxes wages at a flat 3.07%. Pennsylvania taxes wages at a flat 3.07%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.0 percentage points, higher in Pennsylvania. The effective property tax gap is 0.00 percentage points, higher in Pennsylvania.

Both metros are in Pennsylvania, so benefit eligibility in this tool does not change with the move. Rent and price levels still differ.

A $75,000 salary in Philadelphia lines up with about $69,235 in Pittsburgh on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
$1,860
HUD area
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA
Census median gross rent
$1,567
All-items price parity
102.6
Goods price parity
96.8
Utilities price parity
114.4
Mean commute
29.7 min
Median household income
$90,850

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
$1,389
HUD area
Pittsburgh, PA HUD Metro FMR Area
Census median gross rent
$1,083
All-items price parity
94.7
Goods price parity
100.7
Utilities price parity
107.7
Mean commute
26.3 min
Median household income
$77,214

Equivalent salary

The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.

Same buying power

$69,235

Salary in Pittsburgh that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.

After state and federal tax

$68,211

Gross salary in Pittsburgh whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.

Rent only

$56,008

Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.

Taxes on the two sides of the move

TaxPennsylvaniaPennsylvania
State income tax on wages3.07% flat3.07% flat
Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 20266.3%6.3%
Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median1.16%1.16%

On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,631 a year in Pennsylvania and $4,631 in Pennsylvania. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.

Benefits if you land in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are in Pennsylvania. The benefit rules in this tool are statewide, so the statuses match. Rent and prices still differ.

  • Food stamps (SNAP)

    PhiladelphiaLikely eligible

    PittsburghLikely eligible

  • Medicaid and CHIP

    PhiladelphiaLikely eligible

    PittsburghLikely eligible

  • WIC

    PhiladelphiaLikely eligible

    PittsburghLikely eligible

  • School meals

    PhiladelphiaLikely eligible

    PittsburghLikely eligible

  • LIHEAP

    PhiladelphiaMaybe

    PittsburghMaybe

  • Earned Income Tax Credit

    PhiladelphiaLikely eligible

    PittsburghLikely eligible

  • Child Tax Credit

    PhiladelphiaLikely eligible

    PittsburghLikely eligible

  • Marketplace premium tax credits

    PhiladelphiaUnlikely

    PittsburghUnlikely

  • Lifeline phone and internet

    PhiladelphiaLikely eligible

    PittsburghLikely eligible

  • SSI

    PhiladelphiaUnlikely

    PittsburghUnlikely

Medicaid guide for Pennsylvania · SNAP guide

Related comparisons

From Philadelphia

The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Philadelphia.

Nearby metros

How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.