01 · the cities
Lancaster
Lancaster is the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country, with horse-drawn buggies on rural roads and the Central Market (the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country, since the 1730s). The food scene is sneaky-strong, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous, and the city's downtown has come back nicely. Whoopie pies, shoofly pies, and sticky buns are mandatory.
full dispatch→Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the Pennsylvania state capital sitting on the Susquehanna River, with a gorgeous Beaux-Arts capitol building (Theodore Roosevelt called it the handsomest building he ever saw). City Island in the middle of the river is a small park with minor league baseball. Hershey is 15 minutes east (yes, that Hershey). Slower-paced than its metro neighbors.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,517/mo
$1,446/mo
$71/mo less than Lancaster (5%)
Median home price
Median home price
$384k
$309k
$75k less than Lancaster
State income tax
State income tax
3.1%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,561/mo
$6,632/mo
Harrisburg has $71/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
158 days
152 days
6 fewer than Lancaster
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
3 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
25 days
33 days
days below 20°F per year
Harrisburg drops below 20°F on 8 more days per year than Lancaster.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
63 / 100
69 / 100
6.0 pts ahead of Lancaster
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
1 routes
12 routes
11 more direct routes than Lancaster
Metro size
Metro size
559k metro
606k metro
Lancaster has 2.2x fewer events per month than Harrisburg.
the verdict
2
Lancaster
categories won
5
Harrisburg
categories won
Harrisburg wins on money and lifestyle. Lancaster has the edge on weather.
run your numbers
How far does your Lancaster salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works