Miami, FL vs Lancaster, PA
Moving from Miami to Lancaster? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($475,622 → $388,207 median home) and taxes.
Miami vs Lancaster 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 Miami, FL, you'd need about $86,320 in Lancaster, PA (−$13,680).
Livability — Miami, FL: 57 · Lancaster, PA: 64 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,945 sqft in Miami vs 2,254 sqft in Lancaster ($257 vs $222 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Miami, FL | Lancaster, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $32,316 | $18,312 | −$14,004 |
| Groceries | $5,091 | $4,915 | −$176 |
| Transportation | $4,800 | $3,440 | −$1,360 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $2,316 | +$660 |
| Insurance | $4,200 | $1,200 | −$3,000 |
| Taxes | $5,772 | $9,202 | +$3,430 |
| Total | $53,835 | $39,385 | −$14,450 |
Side by side
| Metric | Miami, FL | Lancaster, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 112.1 | 96.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 3.38% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.7% | 3.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 50 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.38 | $5.51 |
| Median home price | $475,622 | $388,207 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.9× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.9% | 4.6% |
| Price per square foot | $257 | $222 |
| Median rent | $2,693 | $1,526 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.1% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.02% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.90% | 1.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,500 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,200 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $1,400 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 380 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 91 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 52 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |