Is Amherst Town cheaper than State College?

State College is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below Amherst Town's (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Which has higher household income, Amherst Town or State College?

Amherst Town has the higher median household income — $81,732 versus $77,110 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Amherst Town or State College?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($81,534 versus $79,690).

Which has cheaper rent, Amherst Town or State College?

State College has cheaper rent — a median of $1,189/mo versus $1,425/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Amherst Town vs State College

Metro-area medians — Amherst Town-Northampton, MA Metro Area vs State College, PA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Amherst Town and State College are evenly matched, each taking 4 of the clearly-decided measures.

State College is about 4% cheaper to live in, while Amherst Town households earn about 6% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

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

Amherst Town, MA

$57,564

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$57,424

real value after local prices

State College, PA

$59,011

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$60,986

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, State College leaves you about $3,562/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

Amherst Town

State College

Livability (CityLedger)

62/100

58/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

100.2

96.8

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$81,534

$79,690

Median household income

$81,732

$77,110

Median rent

$1,425/mo

$1,189/mo

Median home value

$413,400

$339,200

Unemployment

4.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

54.6%

47.4%

Average commute

22.6 min

20.9 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

49°F

Choose Amherst Town for

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

Full Amherst Town profile →

Choose State College for

+ Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Average commute

Full State College profile →

Amherst Town vs State College — frequently asked

Is Amherst Town cheaper than State College?: State College is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below Amherst Town's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Amherst Town or State College?: Amherst Town has the higher median household income — $81,732 versus $77,110 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Amherst Town or State College?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($81,534 versus $79,690).
Which has cheaper rent, Amherst Town or State College?: State College has cheaper rent — a median of $1,189/mo versus $1,425/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).