$100k a year, no longer in Salem

change
Pittsburgh, PA cityscape

next stop after salem

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

in our guides

#5

of 10

Best affordable cities to live car-free

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best affordable cities to retire

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best cities for retirees who love the outdoors

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities for families

read the guide
#10

of 10

Best cities for families who love the outdoors

read the guide
#9

of 10

Best cities for mild four-season weather

read the guide
#9

of 10

Cheapest cities in America

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities to leave New York for

read the guide
#8

of 10

Best cities to leave Los Angeles for

read the guide
#6

of 10

Affordable alternatives to Denver

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best cities on the East Coast

read the guide
#9

of 10

Best cities for a $75k salary

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best cities for a $150k salary

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities to leave Boston for

read the guide
#10

of 10

Best cities to buy a home

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities where buying beats renting

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities to leave DC for

read the guide
#8

of 10

Best cities to leave Minneapolis for

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities for a $60k salary

read the guide
#10

of 10

Best cities to live in your 30s

read the guide

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$643

less monthly outlay than Salem

Pittsburgh is the easier version of your monthly budget. Lower rent, lighter monthly outlay.
landable, recorded on the pittsburgh entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

10% cheaper than Salem(vs $1,642/mo)

02state income tax

3.07%

$473/mo less in state tax than Salem

vs 8.75% in Salem

03after rent

$6,605/mo

$643 more than Salem

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

04a house here

$223k

51% cheaper than Salem

vs $452k in Salem

05metro size

2.4M

vs 437k in Salem

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

161

pleasant days a year, in pittsburgh.

Salem has the edge here, logging 201 pleasant days a year. Cold snaps are part of the year: 28 days below 20° here, 1 in Salem.

79.0× the events of Salem, and the calendar shows it.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

69/100

0% lower than Salem

vs 69/100 in Salem

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

·walk score®

99/100

13% higher than Salem

vs 88/100 in Salem

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

37

0% fewer than Salem

vs 0 nonstops in Salem

04 · see also

if pittsburgh appeals, also worth a look:

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