Appleton, WI vs Pittsburgh, PA
Moving from Appleton to Pittsburgh? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($350,370 → $231,356 median home) and taxes.
Appleton vs Pittsburgh at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Appleton, WI, you'd need about $101,035 in Pittsburgh, PA (+$1,035).
Livability — Appleton, WI: 65 · Pittsburgh, PA: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,426 sqft in Appleton vs 3,782 sqft in Pittsburgh ($206 vs $132 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Appleton, WI | Pittsburgh, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,604 | $18,324 | +$3,720 |
| Groceries | $4,691 | $4,915 | +$224 |
| Transportation | $3,085 | $3,440 | +$355 |
| Utilities | $2,076 | $2,316 | +$240 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,200 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $13,083 | $8,069 | −$5,013 |
| Total | $38,839 | $38,264 | −$575 |
Side by side
| Metric | Appleton, WI | Pittsburgh, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.7 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.92% | 5.09% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 0.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.33 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $350,370 | $231,356 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 3.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.1% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $206 | $132 |
| Median rent | $1,217 | $1,527 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.9% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.43% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.65% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.56% | 1.44% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.2 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 320 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 8 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |