Is Allentown cheaper than Jacksonville?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Allentown and Jacksonville metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Allentown or Jacksonville?

Household incomes are similar — $83,974 in the Allentown metro versus $82,053 in Jacksonville (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Does a paycheck go further in Allentown or Jacksonville?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($84,001 versus $82,479).

Which has cheaper rent, Allentown or Jacksonville?

Allentown has cheaper rent — a median of $1,458/mo versus $1,625/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Allentown vs Jacksonville

Metro-area medians — Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metro Area vs Jacksonville, FL Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Allentown and Jacksonville are evenly matched, each taking 3 of the clearly-decided measures.

Allentown and Jacksonville are closely matched on both cost of living and household income. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

Their widest everyday difference: Allentown has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 41 versus 51.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Allentown, PA

$59,011

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$59,030

real value after local prices

Jacksonville, FL

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$61,632

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Jacksonville leaves you about $2,602/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Allentown

Jacksonville

Livability (CityLedger)

49/100

53/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

100.0

99.5

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$84,001

$82,479

Median household income

$83,974

$82,053

Median rent

$1,458/mo

$1,625/mo

Median home value

$332,700

$375,200

Unemployment

5.3%

4.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

33.8%

38.3%

Average commute

28.2 min

27.4 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

53°F

71°F

Choose Allentown for

+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Allentown profile →

Choose Jacksonville for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Unemployment
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Jacksonville profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Allentown and Jacksonville on cost, income, size, and education.

Allentown vs Waterbury→Allentown vs Providence→Allentown vs Pensacola→Jacksonville vs Virginia Beach→Jacksonville vs Richmond→Jacksonville vs Providence→

Allentown vs Jacksonville — frequently asked

Is Allentown cheaper than Jacksonville?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Allentown and Jacksonville metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Allentown or Jacksonville?: Household incomes are similar — $83,974 in the Allentown metro versus $82,053 in Jacksonville (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).
Does a paycheck go further in Allentown or Jacksonville?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($84,001 versus $82,479).
Which has cheaper rent, Allentown or Jacksonville?: Allentown has cheaper rent — a median of $1,458/mo versus $1,625/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).