Cheapest places to live in Pennsylvania

Every Pennsylvania city and town with 20,000 or more people, ranked by median home value, with rent, commute and growth beside it. All Census data.

By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.

New CastleLowest home values$77,400 median
New CastleLowest rent$741 a month
103Places ranked20,000+ residents

The 3 cheapest in Pennsylvania

#1
New Castle
Home value
$77,400
Rent
$741
Growth
-3.4%
#2
Chester
Home value
$83,100
Rent
$1,091
Growth
+3.9%
#3
Erie
Home value
$115,200
Rent
$870
Growth
-3.3%

The 15 cheapest places to live in Pennsylvania

#	Place	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020
1	New Castle	$77,400	$741	22.3 min	-3.4%
2	Chester	$83,100	$1,091	22.9 min	+3.9%
3	Erie	$115,200	$870	18.3 min	-3.3%
4	Wilkes-Barre	$117,200	$946	20.7 min	+0.4%
5	York	$119,700	$1,014	23.1 min	+1.2%
6	Altoona	$119,900	$819	17.9 min	-3.6%
7	Reading	$121,300	$1,067	24.1 min	+0.8%
8	Harrisburg	$124,200	$1,062	20.1 min	+0.9%
9	Penn Hills	$134,700	$1,103	26.9 min	-3.8%
10	Hazleton	$151,600	$1,089	21.3 min	+1.4%
11	Williamsport	$154,300	$855	15.8 min	-1.3%
12	Lebanon	$156,500	$992	20.6 min	-1.1%
13	Scranton	$158,100	$1,048	19.3 min	-1.1%
14	Pottstown	$195,400	$1,260	26.8 min	-0.5%
15	Easton	$196,300	$1,325	27.8 min	+8.2%

Cheap often comes with a trade-off. Check the growth column: a shrinking population can mean fewer jobs nearby.

All 103, cheapest first

See all 103, cheapest first

#	Place	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Population 2025
1	New Castle	$77,400	$741	22.3 min	21,175
2	Chester	$83,100	$1,091	22.9 min	33,996
3	Erie	$115,200	$870	18.3 min	91,838
4	Wilkes-Barre	$117,200	$946	20.7 min	44,523
5	York	$119,700	$1,014	23.1 min	45,342
6	Altoona	$119,900	$819	17.9 min	42,347
7	Reading	$121,300	$1,067	24.1 min	95,832
8	Harrisburg	$124,200	$1,062	20.1 min	50,522
9	Penn Hills	$134,700	$1,103	26.9 min	39,452
10	Hazleton	$151,600	$1,089	21.3 min	30,286
11	Williamsport	$154,300	$855	15.8 min	27,384
12	Lebanon	$156,500	$992	20.6 min	26,479
13	Scranton	$158,100	$1,048	19.3 min	75,514
14	Pottstown	$195,400	$1,260	26.8 min	23,322
15	Easton	$196,300	$1,325	27.8 min	30,402
16	Pittsburgh	$205,800	$1,261	22.7 min	307,632
17	Allentown	$206,600	$1,317	24.6 min	126,044
18	Baldwin	$208,400	$1,066	26.2 min	20,516
19	Coolbaugh Township	$208,400	$1,952	38.9 min	20,681
20	Monroeville	$209,800	$1,175	25.1 min	27,685
21	Norristown	$213,900	$1,422	26.9 min	35,911
22	Swatara Township	$214,400	$1,252	20.0 min	27,936
23	Chambersburg	$215,000	$1,099	16.5 min	23,376
24	Upper Darby Township	$219,100	$1,328	31.5 min	85,458
25	Lancaster	$219,500	$1,240	23.6 min	58,366
26	Carlisle	$224,100	$1,094	18.6 min	22,693
27	Susquehanna Township	$227,100	$1,487	20.3 min	28,434
28	Plum	$227,600	$1,177	31.1 min	26,225
29	Millcreek Township	$230,600	$1,075	17.1 min	52,680
30	Hempfield Township	$232,100	$964	24.5 min	41,421
31	North Huntingdon Township	$232,400	$1,062	28.5 min	31,697
32	Muhlenberg Township	$233,300	$1,492	22.7 min	22,504
33	Dover Township	$234,500	$1,402	28.0 min	24,395
34	East Pennsboro Township	$236,000	$1,238	20.8 min	21,658
35	Philadelphia	$243,100	$1,397	31.7 min	1,574,281
36	Springettsbury Township	$243,900	$1,339	22.0 min	27,617
37	Unity Township	$245,400	$986	23.3 min	21,196
38	Shaler Township	$245,500	$1,226	23.1 min	26,833
39	Bethlehem	$260,400	$1,382	22.1 min	79,644
40	Lower Allen Township	$260,400	$1,511	24.8 min	21,254
41	York Township	$260,800	$1,389	24.9 min	31,479
42	Whitehall Township	$262,100	$1,444	26.1 min	29,405
43	Ridley Township	$265,200	$1,298	24.9 min	30,956
44	Ross Township	$268,900	$1,278	23.6 min	32,218
45	Bethel Park	$273,400	$1,311	26.5 min	32,074
46	Upper Allen Township	$279,800	$1,525	19.4 min	24,700
47	Manchester Township	$280,000	$1,391	21.7 min	20,061
48	Exeter Township	$281,800	$1,632	25.2 min	26,069
49	Lower Paxton Township	$284,700	$1,417	21.4 min	55,564
50	Manor Township	$286,300	$1,525	25.2 min	21,969
51	Spring Township	$286,900	$1,416	23.6 min	28,873
52	Moon Township	$293,000	$1,215	28.2 min	26,756
53	Penn Township	$301,200	$1,569	30.7 min	20,755
54	Bristol Township	$315,500	$1,245	27.4 min	54,063
55	Palmer Township	$318,800	$1,769	28.4 min	22,721
56	Murrysville	$342,100	$1,587	29.3 min	20,636
57	McCandless Township	$350,100	$1,326	25.0 min	28,439
58	Hampden Township	$354,900	$1,466	22.9 min	35,401
59	East Hempfield Township	$360,500	$1,383	20.0 min	27,287
60	Falls Township	$361,900	$1,465	25.1 min	34,282
61	Manheim Township	$362,800	$1,609	20.4 min	44,826
62	Bensalem Township	$364,400	$1,613	28.9 min	62,783
63	South Whitehall Township	$365,100	$1,865	21.1 min	21,655
64	Phoenixville	$369,600	$1,735	27.0 min	20,356
65	Bethlehem Township	$376,500	$1,794	26.1 min	26,769
66	Mount Lebanon	$378,300	$1,194	25.6 min	32,552
67	Cheltenham Township	$384,800	$1,608	30.6 min	38,498
68	Silver Spring Township	$388,500	$1,611	21.0 min	21,670
69	Derry Township	$390,000	$1,361	18.5 min	25,179
70	Upper Moreland Township	$391,600	$1,634	29.4 min	25,880
71	Abington Township	$391,800	$1,493	28.7 min	58,656
72	Lower Southampton Township	$403,300	$1,449	34.1 min	20,414
73	Lower Macungie Township	$406,500	$1,861	27.0 min	33,507
74	Springfield Township (Delaware County)	$414,900	$1,459	27.7 min	25,039
75	Warminster Township	$418,600	$1,634	26.5 min	33,254
76	Upper Macungie Township	$418,800	$1,903	22.7 min	29,600
77	Cranberry Township	$421,300	$1,708	27.1 min	35,244
78	Upper St. Clair Township	$431,800	$2,038	28.8 min	20,466
79	Middletown Township	$435,100	$1,827	27.6 min	45,547
80	State College	$437,800	$1,273	15.5 min	40,844
81	Hatfield Township	$447,000	$1,602	26.7 min	20,904
82	Upper Merion Township	$455,300	$2,087	24.8 min	36,674
83	Limerick Township	$456,800	$1,846	26.1 min	21,436
84	Peters Township	$461,400	$1,487	29.5 min	23,262
85	Lower Providence Township	$465,500	$1,637	27.9 min	26,242
86	Haverford Township	$466,400	$1,766	27.0 min	50,997
87	Springfield Township (Montgomery County)	$469,500	$1,578	28.2 min	21,030
88	Horsham Township	$473,100	$1,573	28.6 min	27,882
89	Montgomery Township	$473,400	$2,076	29.0 min	26,210
90	West Whiteland Township	$490,900	$2,195	25.9 min	20,826
91	Marple Township	$509,600	$1,683	26.9 min	24,323
92	Upper Providence Township	$538,900	$2,125	26.7 min	24,963
93	Warrington Township	$553,100	$1,761	30.3 min	26,261
94	Whitemarsh Township	$570,100	$2,322	27.3 min	20,198
95	Upper Dublin Township	$573,600	$1,961	27.7 min	27,258
96	West Goshen Township	$575,300	$1,908	24.7 min	24,224
97	Northampton Township	$599,100	$2,108	30.5 min	39,919
98	Whitpain Township	$630,200	$2,255	30.9 min	20,483
99	Lower Makefield Township	$630,200	$2,340	28.4 min	34,028
100	Buckingham Township	$708,100	$1,373	33.7 min	20,757
101	Tredyffrin Township	$709,700	$2,105	25.5 min	31,818
102	Lower Merion Township	$810,400	$1,893	29.0 min	64,691
103	Radnor Township	$833,900	$1,927	23.8 min	32,930

Home values are owner estimates averaged over 2020 to 2024 (American Community Survey 5-year), so they run below today's listing prices. Use them to compare places, not to price a home.

Questions people ask

What is the cheapest place to live in Pennsylvania?

Of the 103 Pennsylvania cities and towns with 20,000 or more people, New Castle has the lowest median home value at $77,400, followed by Chester ($83,100) and Erie ($115,200) (American Community Survey 2020-2024).

Where is rent cheapest in Pennsylvania?

New Castle, with a median gross rent of $741 a month including utilities.

What is the most expensive place to live in Pennsylvania?

Of the places we rank, Radnor Township, with a median home value of $833,900.

What taxes do you pay in Pennsylvania?

Income tax: 3.07% (top rate, 2026). Property tax: 1.12% of home value, statewide effective rate (Census ACS 2025). Sales tax: 6.34% combined state and average local (Tax Foundation 2026).

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