Reading, PA vs Cleveland, OH
Moving from Reading to Cleveland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($312,348 → $252,210 median home) and taxes.
Reading vs Cleveland 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 Reading, PA, you'd need about $94,748 in Cleveland, OH (−$5,252).
Livability — Reading, PA: 65 · Cleveland, OH: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,801 sqft in Reading vs 3,270 sqft in Cleveland ($179 vs $153 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Reading, PA | Cleveland, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,060 | $17,532 | −$528 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $4,830 | −$85 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,025 | −$415 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,100 | −$216 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,300 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $9,491 | $9,518 | +$27 |
| Total | $39,422 | $38,305 | −$1,117 |
Side by side
| Metric | Reading, PA | Cleveland, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 96.5 | 91.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.38% | 5.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.1% | 0.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.49 | $5.20 |
| Median home price | $312,348 | $252,210 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.2× | 3.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.6% | 4.3% |
| Price per square foot | $179 | $153 |
| Median rent | $1,505 | $1,461 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.86% | 1.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |