Lancaster, PA vs Washington, DC
Moving from Lancaster to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($388,207 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Lancaster vs Washington 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 Lancaster, PA, you'd need about $113,218 in Washington, DC (+$13,218).
Livability — Lancaster, PA: 64 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,254 sqft in Lancaster vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($222 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lancaster, PA | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,312 | $28,992 | +$10,680 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $5,318 | +$403 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,855 | +$415 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,748 | +$432 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,400 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $9,202 | $17,710 | +$8,508 |
| Total | $39,385 | $60,023 | +$20,638 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lancaster, PA | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 96.8 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.38% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.1% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.51 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $388,207 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.6% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $222 | $389 |
| Median rent | $1,526 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.48% | 0.95% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 34 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.40 |
| Natural gas / mo | $82 | $80 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $65 | $271 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $81 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 29 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 44.1 | 41.8 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 23.1 | 13.7 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |