Cincinnati, OH vs Pittsburgh, PA
Moving from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($311,270 → $231,356 median home) and taxes.
Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati, OH, you'd need about $100,512 in Pittsburgh, PA (+$512).
Livability — Cincinnati, OH: 70 · Pittsburgh, PA: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,651 sqft in Cincinnati vs 3,782 sqft in Pittsburgh ($189 vs $132 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cincinnati, OH | Pittsburgh, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,900 | $18,324 | −$576 |
| Groceries | $4,718 | $4,915 | +$197 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,440 | +$415 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $2,316 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,200 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $8,820 | $8,069 | −$751 |
| Total | $38,863 | $38,264 | −$599 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cincinnati, OH | Pittsburgh, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.2 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.37% | 5.09% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.5% | 0.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.36 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $311,270 | $231,356 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.1× | 3.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $189 | $132 |
| Median rent | $1,575 | $1,527 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.26% | 1.44% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $78 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $104 | $65 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 45.3 | 39.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 23.3 | 44.1 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 50% | 45% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |