Is Cleveland cheaper than Pittsburgh?

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

Which has higher household income, Cleveland or Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh has the higher median household income — $77,214 versus $72,532 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Cleveland or Pittsburgh?

A paycheck stretches further in Pittsburgh. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $81,560 there versus $77,225 in Cleveland.

Which has cheaper rent, Cleveland or Pittsburgh?

Rents are close — $1,087/mo in the Cleveland metro versus $1,083/mo in Pittsburgh (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Cleveland vs Pittsburgh

Metro-area medians — Cleveland, OH Metro Area vs Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Pittsburgh comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 5 clearly-decided measures.

Cleveland and Pittsburgh cost about the same to live in, but Pittsburgh households earn about 6% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Pittsburgh.

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

Cleveland, OH

$59,967

take-home / yr · 20% to tax

$63,847

real value after local prices

Pittsburgh, PA

$59,011

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$62,333

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Cleveland leaves you about $1,515/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

Cleveland

Pittsburgh

Livability (CityLedger)

51/100

57/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

93.9

94.7

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$77,225

$81,560

Median household income

$72,532

$77,214

Median rent

$1,087/mo

$1,083/mo

Median home value

$234,700

$230,300

Unemployment

4.1%

Bachelor's degree or higher

34.7%

39.8%

Average commute

24 min

26.3 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

52°F

Choose Cleveland for

+ Average commute

Full Cleveland profile →

Choose Pittsburgh for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Pittsburgh profile →

Cleveland vs Pittsburgh — frequently asked

Is Cleveland cheaper than Pittsburgh?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Cleveland and Pittsburgh metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Cleveland or Pittsburgh?: Pittsburgh has the higher median household income — $77,214 versus $72,532 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Cleveland or Pittsburgh?: A paycheck stretches further in Pittsburgh. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $81,560 there versus $77,225 in Cleveland.
Which has cheaper rent, Cleveland or Pittsburgh?: Rents are close — $1,087/mo in the Cleveland metro versus $1,083/mo in Pittsburgh (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).