Cost of living in Harrisburg, PA
The Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA metro area (615,361 people) ranks #70 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 Harrisburg with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Harrisburg to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Philadelphia, PA, 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 Harrisburg: $83,800
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $83,800 in Harrisburg, PA to match $90,000 in Philadelphia, PA ($6,200 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in Pennsylvania, so state income tax is the same; includes Philadelphia resident tax $3,362 and Harrisburg resident tax $1,800 (inside city limits).
What things cost in Harrisburg
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Harrisburg
On an $80,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $60,998 after 2026 federal tax ($8,770), Social Security and Medicare ($6,120) and Pennsylvania income tax ($2,456), plus $56 in state payroll programs, and $1,600 in Harrisburg resident income tax.
Harrisburg residents pay a 2% earned income tax (1.5% city plus 0.5% school district). Suburbs around Harrisburg charge their own earned income tax, mostly 1%–2% (about 1.6% is typical). If you live elsewhere but work in Harrisburg, you pay your home rate or Harrisburg's 1% nonresident rate, whichever is higher.
Housing
| Measure | Harrisburg area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,254/mo |
| Median home value | $282,600 |
| Median property tax | $3,160/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $1,854 |
| Median household income | $80,904 |
Climate and jobs in Harrisburg
In the Harrisburg area the average January low is 23°F and the average July high 87°F, and the area has about 22 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 3.9% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $49,610 a year, 3% below the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 23°F |
| July high | 87°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 22 a year |
| Precipitation | 44 in a year |
| Snowfall | 30 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $49,610 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 335,010 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Middletown Harrisburg International Airport station (USW00014711). 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 Harrisburg
A single retiree spends about $3,193 a month here if they own their home outright, or $3,893 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 Harrisburg
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Harrisburg area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 86 of 100), with expected losses of about $316 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 Harrisburg?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $79,700 in Harrisburg. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $50,160, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $79,451.
Is Harrisburg expensive?
The Harrisburg metro area's price level is 98.7 (U.S. = 100), #70 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 96.3, 4% below the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Harrisburg?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Harrisburg had a net gain of about 213 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Harrisburg?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Harrisburg area (Middletown Harrisburg International Airport weather station), the average January low is 23°F and the average July high 87°F. The area has about 22 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 44 inches of precipitation a year and about 30 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Harrisburg?
The Harrisburg metro area's unemployment rate averaged 3.9% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $49,610 a year in May 2025, 3% below the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Harrisburg?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 86). The highest relative risks are winter weather, strong wind, riverine flooding.
Cities with similar prices
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Moving from Pennsylvania