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CityLedger

Lakeland vs York

Metro-area medians — Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL Metro Area vs York-Hanover, PA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

York comes out ahead, winning 8 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Lakeland and York cost about the same to live in, but York households earn about 22% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in York.

Their widest everyday difference: York has the tighter job market — 3.5% unemployment versus 5.4%.

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.

Lakeland, FL
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$63,118
real value after local prices
York, PA
$59,011
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$61,470
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Lakeland leaves you about $1,648/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
Lakeland
York
Livability (CityLedger)
25/100
54/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
97.1
96.0
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$68,744
$84,847
Median household income
$66,779
$81,453
Median rent
$1,484/mo
$1,203/mo
Median home value
$305,400
$275,200
Unemployment
5.4%
3.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
25.2%
29.2%
Average commute
31.4 min
27.2 min
Air quality (median AQI)
39
44
Avg temperature
75°F
52°F

Choose Lakeland for

  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Lakeland profile →

Choose York for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full York profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Lakeland and York on cost, income, size, and education.

Lakeland vs Waterbury→Lakeland vs Allentown→Lakeland vs Pensacola→York vs Reading→York vs Pensacola→York vs Waterbury→

Lakeland vs York — frequently asked

Is Lakeland cheaper than York?
They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Lakeland and York metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Lakeland or York?
York has the higher median household income — $81,453 versus $66,779 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 22% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Lakeland or York?
A paycheck stretches further in York. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $84,847 there versus $68,744 in Lakeland.
Which has cheaper rent, Lakeland or York?
York has cheaper rent — a median of $1,203/mo versus $1,484/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).