City comparison
Lancaster, PA vs New Haven, CT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in New Haven, CT are 6.4% higher than in Lancaster, PA. Someone earning $100,000 in Lancaster, PA would need about $106,400 in New Haven, CT to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,591 a month in New Haven, CT versus $1,220 in Lancaster, PA. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in New Haven, CT and 19% in Lancaster, PA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $855 a year higher in New Haven, CT than in Lancaster, PA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +15.5% moving from Lancaster, PA to New Haven, CT ($108,592 → $125,431), while prices change by +6.4%. Net effect of the transfer: +8.5% in real buying power.
- Lancaster, PA: price level 98.3 (about average)
- New Haven, CT: price level 104.6 (pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lancaster, PA | New Haven, CT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.3 | 104.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $106,414 in New Haven | $93,973 in Lancaster |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,220/mo | $1,591/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $76,110 | $75,255 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,070 (PA) | $3,925 (CT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 19% | 25% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $48,210 | $60,060 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA | New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA |
Rent areas: Lancaster, PA MSA and New Haven, CT MSA. Metro areas: Lancaster, PA and New Haven, CT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lancaster | New Haven |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 93.8 | 124.3 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 97.3 |
| Utilities | 107.3 | 144.8 |
| Other services | 97.7 | 102.7 |
| Overall | 98.3 | 104.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lancaster, PA → New Haven, CT
Same pay buys less
Buying power −6.0%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax +$855/yr.
49 Fair offer
New Haven, CT → Lancaster, PA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +6.4%; rent takes 19% of take-home; state tax −$855/yr.
89 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lancaster, PA is in the Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA pay area; New Haven, CT is in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA. The last column shows what a transfer from Lancaster, PA to New Haven, CT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lancaster, PA | New Haven, CT | Real change, Lancaster → New Haven |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $62,972 | $72,737 | +8.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $76,190 | $88,005 | +8.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $91,320 | $105,481 | +8.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $108,592 | $125,431 | +8.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $128,323 | $148,222 | +8.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lancaster, PA | New Haven, CT | New Haven pay in Lancaster dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $78,360 | $79,820 | $75,009 (−4.3%) |
| Software Developers | $104,740 | $133,040 | $125,021 (+19.4%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $76,110 | $94,960 | $89,237 (+17.2%) |
| Registered Nurses | $89,620 | $104,490 | $98,192 (+9.6%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.