Fargo, ND vs Pittsburgh, PA
Moving from Fargo to Pittsburgh? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,854 → $231,356 median home) and taxes.
Fargo 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 Fargo, ND, you'd need about $106,250 in Pittsburgh, PA (+$6,250).
Livability — Fargo, ND: 68 · Pittsburgh, PA: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,592 sqft in Fargo vs 3,782 sqft in Pittsburgh ($193 vs $132 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fargo, ND | Pittsburgh, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,872 | $18,324 | +$4,452 |
| Groceries | $4,850 | $4,915 | +$65 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,440 | +$310 |
| Utilities | $1,332 | $2,316 | +$984 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,200 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $8,083 | $8,069 | −$14 |
| Total | $33,367 | $38,264 | +$4,897 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fargo, ND | Pittsburgh, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 5.09% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.2% | 0.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $327,854 | $231,356 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 3.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.2% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $193 | $132 |
| Median rent | $1,156 | $1,527 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.8% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.04% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.20% | 1.44% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 18 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 12.3 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 290 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | -2 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |