What is the cost of living in Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 94.7, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 72.0, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,299/month.

What is the median salary in Pittsburgh?

The median salary in Pittsburgh is $65,551 annually (mean: $69,421). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses.

How safe is Pittsburgh?

The violent crime rate in the Pittsburgh area is 250 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1457 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Pittsburgh?

The state of PA has 2,930 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1. Charter schools make up 6% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Pittsburgh?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Pittsburgh.

Is Pittsburgh a good place to relocate?

Pittsburgh has a Life Score of 52.1/100 (D), based on 6 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Pittsburgh sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Pittsburgh ranks #209 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Pittsburgh, PA

BEA RPP 94.7 sits mid-pack (#213 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

94.7
Cost index (US=100): $1,299
2BR rent / mo: $65,551
Median salary: 50.7
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Pittsburgh ranks #209 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (50.7/100), with its strongest marks in schools and safety.

#209
of 387 US metros · Near median: 13,078,751
metro-area population: 250
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,930
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: air quality (12/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Pittsburgh ranks #209 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 94.7 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,299/mo, median salary $65,551; LiveAbility Score 50.7/100, strongest in schools and safety.

Signature: BEA RPP 94.7 sits mid-pack (#213 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 94.7 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,299/mo.

LiveAbility 50.7/100 keeps Pittsburgh in the middle third (#209 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Pittsburgh area is 1,098,020.

Pittsburgh vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

51 Top 54% higher than 46% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Pittsburgh housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Pittsburgh MSA; housing RPP 72.0 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,299/mo.

Studio

$1,001

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,077

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,299

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,661

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,789

/month

Pittsburgh wages and employment

Pittsburgh posts 1,098,020 total employment with median salary $65,551.

Median Salary

$65,551

Mean Salary

$69,421

Total Employment

1,098,020

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$29,250
General and Operations Managers	$100,840
Registered Nurses	$82,370
Retail Salespersons	$30,840
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,250

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Pittsburgh area from NCES.

Schools

2,930

Enrollment

1,664,154

Student:Teacher

13.6:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Pittsburgh's composite Life Score is 52.1/100 (D), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

45/100

Average

Wages

65/100

Strong

Rent

50/100

Average

Crime

69/100

Strong

Schools

17/100

Bottom decile

Environment

53/100

Average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Pittsburgh ranks #209 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 50.7/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Schools (83/100)

Schools

83
Safety

69
Job market

65
Housing

50
Cost of living

45
Climate

34
Low hazard

33
Air quality

12

What this shows Pittsburgh's strongest dimensions are schools and safety; its weakest among scored dims is air quality at 12/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Pittsburgh to

Wausau Weirton-Steubenville Wenatchee-East Wenatchee Wheeling Wichita Falls Wichita

Metros near Pittsburgh on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Pittsburgh on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Pittsburgh cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Pittsburgh wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh runs a $65,551 median salary at a 94.7 cost index, ranking #209 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Pittsburgh's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Pittsburgh head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Pittsburgh
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.