Is Scranton cheaper than Winston-Salem?

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

Which has higher household income, Scranton or Winston-Salem?

Scranton has the higher median household income — $68,079 versus $65,903 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 3% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Scranton or Winston-Salem?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($72,768 versus $71,600).

Which has cheaper rent, Scranton or Winston-Salem?

Scranton has cheaper rent — a median of $1,072/mo versus $1,102/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Scranton vs Winston-Salem

Metro-area medians — Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA Metro Area vs Winston-Salem, NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Scranton comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Scranton and Winston-Salem cost about the same to live in, but Scranton households earn about 3% 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

Scranton, PA

$59,011

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$63,076

real value after local prices

Winston-Salem, NC

$58,668

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$63,740

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Winston-Salem leaves you about $664/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

Scranton

Winston-Salem

Livability (CityLedger)

41/100

46/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

93.6

92.0

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$72,768

$71,600

Median household income

$68,079

$65,903

Median rent

$1,072/mo

$1,102/mo

Median home value

$215,400

$270,700

Unemployment

4.6%

3.4%

Bachelor's degree or higher

28%

33.4%

Average commute

23.1 min

23.8 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

51°F

60°F

Choose Scranton for

+ Median household income
+ Median home value
+ Average commute
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full Scranton profile →

Choose Winston-Salem for

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

Full Winston-Salem profile →

Scranton vs Winston-Salem — frequently asked

Is Scranton cheaper than Winston-Salem?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Scranton and Winston-Salem metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Scranton or Winston-Salem?: Scranton has the higher median household income — $68,079 versus $65,903 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 3% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Scranton or Winston-Salem?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($72,768 versus $71,600).
Which has cheaper rent, Scranton or Winston-Salem?: Scranton has cheaper rent — a median of $1,072/mo versus $1,102/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).