City comparison
Lancaster, PA vs Palm Bay, FL
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Palm Bay, FL are 1.8% higher than in Lancaster, PA. Someone earning $100,000 in Lancaster, PA would need about $101,800 in Palm Bay, FL to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,478 a month in Palm Bay, FL versus $1,220 in Lancaster, PA. On $100,000, that's 22% of take-home pay in Palm Bay, FL and 19% in Lancaster, PA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,070 a year higher in Lancaster, PA than in Palm Bay, FL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −1.3% moving from Lancaster, PA to Palm Bay, FL ($108,592 → $107,228), while prices change by +1.8%. Net effect of the transfer: −3.0% in real buying power.
- Lancaster, PA: price level 98.3 (about average)
- Palm Bay, FL: price level 100.0 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lancaster, PA | Palm Bay, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.3 | 100.0 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $101,779 in Palm Bay | $98,252 in Lancaster |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,220/mo | $1,478/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $76,110 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,070 (PA) | $0 (FL) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 19% | 22% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $48,210 | $49,030 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL |
Rent areas: Lancaster, PA MSA and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA. Metro areas: Lancaster, PA and Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lancaster | Palm Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 93.8 | 111.7 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 107.3 | 88.1 |
| Other services | 97.7 | 98.9 |
| Overall | 98.3 | 100.0 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lancaster, PA → Palm Bay, FL
Roughly even
Buying power −1.7%; rent takes 22% of take-home; state tax −$3,070/yr.
63 Fair offer
Palm Bay, FL → Lancaster, PA
Roughly even
Buying power +1.8%; rent takes 19% of take-home; state tax +$3,070/yr.
74 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lancaster, PA is in the Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA pay area; Palm Bay, FL is in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL. The last column shows what a transfer from Lancaster, PA to Palm Bay, FL at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lancaster, PA | Palm Bay, FL | Real change, Lancaster → Palm Bay |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $62,972 | $62,181 | −3.0% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $76,190 | $75,233 | −3.0% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $91,320 | $90,173 | −3.0% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $108,592 | $107,228 | −3.0% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $128,323 | $126,711 | −3.0% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lancaster, PA | Palm Bay, FL | Palm Bay pay in Lancaster dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $78,360 | $62,510 | $61,417 (−21.6%) |
| Software Developers | $104,740 | $131,760 | $129,457 (+23.6%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $76,110 | $75,860 | $74,534 (−2.1%) |
| Registered Nurses | $89,620 | $80,900 | $79,486 (−11.3%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.