Pittsburgh, PA vs Hickory, NC
Moving from Pittsburgh to Hickory? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($231,356 → $271,739 median home) and taxes.
Pittsburgh vs Hickory 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 Pittsburgh, PA, you'd need about $94,370 in Hickory, NC (−$5,630).
Livability — Pittsburgh, PA: 70 · Hickory, NC: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,782 sqft in Pittsburgh vs 3,679 sqft in Hickory ($132 vs $136 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Pittsburgh, PA | Hickory, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,324 | $17,952 | −$372 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $4,840 | −$75 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,130 | −$310 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,752 | −$564 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $2,000 | +$800 |
| Taxes | $8,069 | $7,879 | −$190 |
| Total | $38,264 | $37,553 | −$711 |
Side by side
| Metric | Pittsburgh, PA | Hickory, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.7 | 89.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.09% | 5.52% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 46 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.39 | $5.09 |
| Median home price | $231,356 | $271,739 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.2× | 4.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.8% | 2.3% |
| Price per square foot | $132 | $136 |
| Median rent | $1,527 | $1,496 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.44% | 0.69% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |