Cost of Living: Wilkes-Barre, PA vs Phoenix, AZ

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,337/mo in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $4,370/mo in Phoenix, AZ. In the model, rent is about 13.68% of gross in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus 21.24% in Phoenix, AZ, so Wilkes-Barre, PA tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Wilkes-Barre, PA
$4,337/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in Phoenix, AZ
$4,370/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in Wilkes-Barre, PA
13.68%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in Phoenix, AZ
21.24%
COLI tier: mid-range

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Wilkes-Barre, PA and Phoenix, AZ.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Wilkes-Barre, PA
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Wilkes-Barre, PA
  • Lower home prices: Wilkes-Barre, PA
  • Higher median household income: Phoenix, AZ

Cost of Living Index

Wilkes-Barre, PA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Phoenix, AZ: 102.4 (U.S. = 100)

Wilkes-Barre, PA has a lower cost-of-living index than Phoenix, AZ, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Wilkes-Barre, PA: $892/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Phoenix, AZ: $1,385/mo

Median rent in Phoenix, AZ is $493/mo higher than in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Median Home Price

Wilkes-Barre, PA: $108,000 · Phoenix, AZ: $381,900

Median home price in Phoenix, AZ is $273,900 higher than in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Median Household Income

Wilkes-Barre, PA: $47,970 · Phoenix, AZ: $77,041

Phoenix, AZ has a higher median household income than Wilkes-Barre, PA by $29,071.

Wilkes-Barre, PA overview · Phoenix, AZ overview · Popular comparisons