Waco, TX vs Pittsburgh, PA
Moving from Waco to Pittsburgh? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($256,772 → $231,356 median home) and taxes.
Waco 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 Waco, TX, you'd need about $103,918 in Pittsburgh, PA (+$3,918).
Livability — Waco, TX: 73 · Pittsburgh, PA: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,088 sqft in Waco vs 3,782 sqft in Pittsburgh ($122 vs $132 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Waco, TX | Pittsburgh, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,848 | $18,324 | +$1,476 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $4,915 | +$268 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,440 | −$235 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $2,316 | +$480 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,200 | −$2,400 |
| Taxes | $5,779 | $8,069 | +$2,290 |
| Total | $36,385 | $38,264 | +$1,879 |
Side by side
| Metric | Waco, TX | Pittsburgh, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.1 | 94.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.56% | 5.09% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 0.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $5.39 |
| Median home price | $256,772 | $231,356 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 3.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.8% | 0.8% |
| Price per square foot | $122 | $132 |
| Median rent | $1,404 | $1,527 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.53% | 1.44% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |