The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Pennsylvania For 2023


We used science and data to determine which cities in Pennsylvania that will put a big dent in your wallet.

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Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the most expensive places to live in Pennsylvania.

You won't find Dollar General stores and/or McDonalds restaurants dotting the landscape in Pennsylvania's most expensive places, the playgrounds for Pennsylvania's rich and famous are only loaded with the best of the best. Matter of fact, many of Pennsylvania's most expensive places are some of the state's best. What might be a surprise, however, is Pennsylvania's most expensive place to live. But, if you want to know what place is number one, you're going to have to take a look below at HomeSnacks' list of the most expensive places in Pennsylvania for 2023.

How did we calculate our list of the most expensive places in Pennsylvania? First, we created a list of factors that the wealthy find important: safety, jobs, and amenities and created a cost of living index to give the 182 Pennsylvania places we measured a SnackAbility score. And, folks, there's a reason that many of Pennsylvania's most expensive places are located around the state's busiest metropolis, Philadelphia: it's not only one of the most expensive places in the Keystone State, there's lots to do in The City of Brotherly Love that the wealthy find attractive.

More importantly, after looking at home price to income ratios and rent to income ratios for the places on our list with at least 5,000 residents, we also discovered that it's going to take more than a million Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey's Kisses to keep up with the Joneses in this Mid-Atlantic state: it's going to take at least 36,695/year.

To see a list of the most expensive places in Pennsylvania, grab a basket of Pittsburgh's famous pierogies and keep reading.

Here are the 10 most expensive places to live in Pennsylvania for 2023:

  1. State College
  2. West Chester
  3. Oxford
  4. Edinboro
  5. Doyle
  6. Lewisburg
  7. Philadelphia
  8. Kennett Square
  9. Stroudsburg
  10. Nazareth

What's the most expensive place to live in Pennsylvania? Well, HomeSnacks crunched the numbers and discovered that State College is the most expensive place to live in Pennsylvania.

So hopefully Greenville (the cheapest place to live in Pennsylvania) can show these guys how to live on a budget in the coming years. Read on for how these places had costs rise faster than inflation.

And if you already knew these places were expensive, check out some more reading about Pennsylvania and the most expensive cities in the country:

The 10 Most Expensive Places To Live In Pennsylvania For 2023

1. State College

State College, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 40,352
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 7.8x (most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 38.7x (2nd most expensive)
More on State College: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in State College comes in at $43,015 and the median home value is $334,300 for 2023.

2. West Chester

West Chester, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 18,592
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 6.2x (2nd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 46.9x (22nd most expensive)
More on West Chester: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in West Chester comes in at $65,027 and the median home value is $406,400 for 2023.

3. Oxford

Oxford, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,671
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 3)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.9x (10th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 50.0x (3most expensive)
More on Oxford: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Oxford comes in at $58,125 and the median home value is $227,600 for 2023.

4. Edinboro

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,097
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.8x (5th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 43.9x (9th most expensive)
More on Edinboro: Real Estate | Data

The median income in Edinboro comes in at $36,695 and the median home value is $176,100 for 2023.

5. Doyle

Doyle, PA

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 8,275
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.2x (3rd most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 56.3x (65th most expensive)
More on Doyle: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Doyle comes in at $86,188 and the median home value is $451,200 for 2023.

6. Lewisburg

Lewisburg, PA

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 5,336
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 5.0x (4th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 51.1x (37th most expensive)
More on Lewisburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Lewisburg comes in at $38,948 and the median home value is $194,300 for 2023.

7. Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,596,865
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.5x (18th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 45.8x (18th most expensive)
More on Philadelphia: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Philadelphia comes in at $52,649 and the median home value is $184,100 for 2023.

8. Kennett Square

Kennett Square, PA

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,959
Rank Last Year: 20 (Up 11)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 4.2x (8th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 56.7x (68th most expensive)
More on Kennett Square: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Kennett Square comes in at $65,984 and the median home value is $275,000 for 2023.

9. Stroudsburg

Stroudsburg, PA

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,870
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.2x (28th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 40.3x (5th most expensive)
More on Stroudsburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Stroudsburg comes in at $51,765 and the median home value is $163,800 for 2023.

10. Nazareth

Nazareth, PA

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,016
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 2)
Home Price To Income Ratio: 3.7x (13th most expensive)
Income To Rent Ratio: 54.6x (54th most expensive)
More on Nazareth: Real Estate | Data | Photos

The median income in Nazareth comes in at $53,476 and the median home value is $197,500 for 2023.

Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Keystone State For 2023

Map Of The Cheapest Places To Live In Pennsylvania
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford if you can live comes down to:

  1. How much do money do I make?
  2. How much do I have spend to live there?

You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.

For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing it's actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.

With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2017-2021 around incomes and costs. They are:

  • Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
  • Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
  • Median Home Price

We added simply median home price because high home prices generally correlate with higher expenses for all costs related to homes (heating, electricity, etc).

You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Pennsylvania to figure out which is the most expensive.

What you are left with is a "Cost of Living Index" by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.

So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 182 places in Pennsylvania that have more than 5,000 people.

The place with the highest cost of living in Pennsylvania according to the data is State College. You can download the data here.

Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Pennsylvania For 2023

Well there you have it, the places in Pennsylvania that have the highest cost of living, with State College ranking as the most expensive city in the Keystone State.

Here's a look at the most affordable cities in Pennsylvania according to the data:

  1. Greenville
  2. Monessen
  3. Franklin

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Most Expensive Cities In Pennsylvania

Rank City ExpensiveScore Population Home/Income Ratio Income/Rent Ratio
1 State College 3.67 40,352 7.8x 38.7x
2 West Chester 9.33 18,592 6.2x 46.9x
3 Oxford 20.67 5,671 3.9x 50.0x
4 Edinboro 22.0 5,097 4.8x 43.9x
5 Doyle 23.33 8,275 5.2x 56.3x
6 Lewisburg 25.33 5,336 5.0x 51.1x
7 Philadelphia 27.67 1,596,865 3.5x 45.8x
8 Kennett Square 29.17 5,959 4.2x 56.7x
9 Stroudsburg 31.67 5,870 3.2x 40.3x
10 Nazareth 32.33 6,016 3.7x 54.6x
11 Gettysburg 33.0 7,423 4.1x 55.1x
12 Millersville 33.83 7,698 3.0x 45.6x
13 Wyomissing 34.67 11,026 3.3x 57.5x
14 Media 35.33 5,832 4.6x 61.6x
15 Downin 36.0 8,047 3.6x 57.9x
16 Bloomsburg 36.5 12,850 3.8x 48.3x
17 Bethlehem 38.67 75,599 3.2x 52.4x
18 Norri 40.33 35,607 3.0x 48.9x
19 Allentown 44.0 125,250 3.1x 43.4x
20 Ambler 44.67 6,747 4.2x 65.4x
21 Conshohocken 45.67 9,104 3.1x 61.7x
22 Carlisle 46.33 19,869 3.6x 58.5x
23 Chambersburg 46.33 22,141 3.3x 53.3x
24 New Holland 47.0 5,743 3.2x 60.1x
25 Lansdale 47.0 18,509 3.3x 62.7x
26 Bellefonte 47.67 6,181 3.8x 62.4x
27 Prospect Park 49.5 6,414 3.1x 59.0x
28 Lock Haven 51.33 8,458 3.5x 50.0x
29 Phoenixville 53.0 18,437 3.1x 65.1x
30 Elizabet 54.67 11,574 3.1x 61.1x
31 Clifton Heights 54.83 6,806 3.0x 53.5x
32 Souderton 55.33 7,131 3.3x 66.7x
33 Bristol 55.67 9,847 2.8x 57.0x
34 Indiana 57.0 13,573 3.3x 46.6x
35 Quake 58.0 9,285 3.0x 64.3x
36 East Stroudsburg 58.33 9,820 2.7x 49.6x
37 Ephrata 59.0 13,767 3.1x 61.2x
38 Hatboro 59.5 8,150 2.9x 65.4x
39 Bangor 60.83 5,203 2.9x 54.9x
40 Palmyra 62.0 7,750 3.0x 60.3x
41 Oakmont 63.0 6,722 3.6x 76.6x
42 Waynesboro 63.33 10,871 3.0x 55.9x
43 Helle 64.33 6,108 2.7x 59.7x
44 Mount Joy 65.17 8,251 2.9x 64.9x
45 Lansdowne 65.67 11,007 2.7x 55.4x
46 Pittsburgh 66.0 303,207 2.7x 52.1x
47 Sayre 66.33 5,484 3.0x 54.7x
48 Hanover 66.67 16,291 2.9x 58.9x
49 Collingdale 67.33 8,857 2.6x 41.3x
50 Perkasie 68.33 9,068 3.2x 79.0x
51 Milton 68.67 6,641 3.1x 59.3x
52 Brookhaven 69.33 8,243 2.7x 65.9x
53 Swarthmore 69.67 6,560 3.4x 101.2x
54 Columbia 70.0 10,243 2.7x 49.0x
55 Shippensburg 70.33 5,668 3.0x 56.6x
56 Lancaster 71.0 58,034 2.7x 54.4x
57 Coatesville 71.33 13,306 2.5x 39.9x
58 Lititz 72.0 9,485 2.8x 68.2x
59 Pott 72.33 23,282 2.6x 50.0x
60 Franklin Park 73.0 15,239 2.8x 75.4x
61 Glenolden 76.0 7,187 2.6x 57.7x
62 Emmaus 76.67 11,589 2.6x 66.5x
63 Selinsgrove 78.33 5,774 3.0x 68.1x
64 Mechanicsburg 79.33 9,310 2.8x 66.7x
65 Meadville 79.33 12,999 2.8x 53.8x
66 Hollidaysburg 80.67 5,622 3.0x 70.7x
67 Blakely 81.0 6,640 2.8x 62.8x
68 South Williamsport 81.67 6,265 2.8x 65.9x
69 Taylor 81.67 6,281 2.8x 63.7x
70 Catasauqua 82.67 6,498 2.6x 63.0x
71 Middl 83.0 9,469 2.5x 51.3x
72 Bellevue 83.33 8,287 2.8x 63.7x
73 Wilkinsburg 84.83 14,492 2.5x 45.8x
74 Archbald 86.0 7,295 2.8x 73.2x
75 Yeadon 86.0 11,945 2.5x 56.7x
76 Moosic 86.0 5,937 2.9x 77.5x
77 Lebanon 86.67 26,611 2.5x 49.2x
78 Folcroft 87.5 6,738 2.1x 39.9x
79 Scranton 87.67 75,987 2.5x 52.4x
80 Jefferson Hills 88.0 12,215 2.7x 80.2x
81 Hazleton 88.5 29,339 2.4x 45.9x
82 Easton 88.67 27,860 2.3x 51.4x
83 Williamsport 89.0 27,908 2.6x 55.8x
84 Uniontown 89.0 9,988 2.6x 45.3x
85 Morrisville 89.33 9,675 2.7x 79.1x
86 Lehighton 90.67 5,267 2.8x 63.5x
87 Ridley Park 91.67 7,131 2.5x 76.3x
88 Dormont 92.0 8,255 2.6x 67.3x
89 Greensburg 92.67 14,982 2.9x 69.9x
90 Steelton 92.67 6,217 2.2x 44.4x
91 Butler 94.33 13,452 2.5x 51.7x
92 Whitehall 96.33 14,882 2.7x 82.3x
93 Dickson City 98.0 6,047 2.6x 74.5x
94 Kingston 98.67 13,304 2.5x 62.1x
95 Northampton 99.33 10,328 2.4x 71.6x
96 Dunmore 100.0 14,009 2.6x 77.0x
97 Shillington 100.0 5,470 2.4x 63.3x
98 Economy 100.33 9,057 2.6x 102.2x
99 Hermitage 101.0 16,240 2.7x 72.0x
100 Camp Hill 102.0 8,115 2.4x 83.0x

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About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.