with $100k coming in, swapping out of Philadelphia

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Pittsburgh, PA cityscape

from philadelphia

Pittsburgh

pa · metro 2.4M

photo: Jay Brand / pexels

a dispatch from

pittsburgh

PA

40.44°N

80.00°W

Pittsburgh has more bridges than Venice (446, and locals will tell you the exact number), three rivers crashing together downtown, and a sandwich tradition where the fries go inside. The mills are long gone but the neighborhoods they built (Polish Hill, Bloomfield, the Strip) still feed you like a great aunt. Carnegie Mellon and UPMC turned the old industrial bones into a robotics and medical research scene. The skyline reveal coming through the Fort Pitt Tunnel is the cheapest awe in America.

metro2.4M

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$709

less monthly outlay than Philadelphia

You'd feel the difference in Pittsburgh. Not life-changing money, but real breathing room next to Philadelphia.
landable, recorded on the pittsburgh entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

21% cheaper than Philadelphia(vs $1,869/mo)

02state income tax

3.07%

$312/mo less in state tax than Philadelphia

vs 6.82% in Philadelphia

03after rent

$6,605/mo

$709 more than Philadelphia

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$223k

43% cheaper than Philadelphia

vs $393k in Philadelphia

05metro size

2.4M

vs 6.2M in Philadelphia

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

161

pleasant days a year, in pittsburgh.

Philadelphia edges ahead with 173 pleasant days.

Noticeably quieter than Philadelphia. About 57% fewer events on a typical month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

69/100

0% lower than Philadelphia

vs 69/100 in Philadelphia

Closest outdoor draw: Raccoon Creek State Park, 21.4 mi.

·walk score®

99/100

1% lower than Philadelphia

vs 100/100 in Philadelphia

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

37

70% fewer than Philadelphia

vs 122 nonstops in Philadelphia

04 · see also

neighbors of pittsburgh on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

cincinnati

more flight options

turn the page

see also

cleveland

more flight options

turn the page

see also

buffalo

more things to do

turn the page

compare pittsburgh with:

CincinnatiClevelandBuffalo