Cost of living in Allentown, PA
The Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area (886,418 people) ranks #65 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Allentown with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Allentown to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from New York, NY, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Allentown: $82,400
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $82,400 in Allentown, PA to match $100,000 in New York, NY ($17,600 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses New York and Pennsylvania state income tax; includes New York City resident tax $3,441 and Allentown resident tax $1,975 (inside city limits).
What things cost in Allentown
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Allentown
On an $85,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $64,280 after 2026 federal tax ($9,870), Social Security and Medicare ($6,503) and Pennsylvania income tax ($2,610), plus $60 in state payroll programs, and $1,679 in Allentown resident income tax.
Allentown residents pay a 1.975% earned income tax (1.475% city plus 0.5% school district). Lehigh Valley suburbs charge their own earned income tax, mostly 1%–1.5% and most often 1%. If you live elsewhere but work in Allentown, you pay your home rate or Allentown's 1.28% nonresident rate, whichever is higher.
Housing
| Measure | Allentown area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,458/mo |
| Median home value | $332,700 |
| Median property tax | $4,702/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,248 |
| Median household income | $83,974 |
Climate and jobs in Allentown
In the Allentown area the average January low is 22°F and the average July high 86°F, and the area has about 18 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.5% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $48,990 a year, 4% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 22°F |
| July high | 86°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 18 a year |
| Precipitation | 47 in a year |
| Snowfall | 33 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.5% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $48,990 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 377,180 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Allentown International Airport station (USW00014737). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Allentown
A single retiree spends about $3,330 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,105 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Allentown
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Allentown area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 88.2 of 100), with expected losses of about $346 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Pennsylvania.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Allentown?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $80,900 in Allentown. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $58,320, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $96,329.
Is Allentown expensive?
The Allentown metro area's price level is 100.0 (U.S. = 100), #65 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 105.5, 5% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Allentown?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Allentown had a net gain of about 1,578 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Allentown?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Allentown area (Allentown International Airport weather station), the average January low is 22°F and the average July high 86°F. The area has about 18 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 47 inches of precipitation a year and about 33 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Allentown?
The Allentown metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.5% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $48,990 a year in May 2025, 4% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Allentown?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 88.2). The highest relative risks are winter weather, heat wave, riverine flooding.
Compare Allentown with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Moving from Pennsylvania