City comparison
Lancaster, PA vs Salt Lake City, UT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Salt Lake City, UT are 2.7% higher than in Lancaster, PA. Someone earning $100,000 in Lancaster, PA would need about $102,700 in Salt Lake City, UT to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,456 a month in Salt Lake City, UT versus $1,220 in Lancaster, PA. On $100,000, that's 23% of take-home pay in Salt Lake City, UT and 19% in Lancaster, PA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $464 a year higher in Salt Lake City, UT than in Lancaster, PA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −2.0% moving from Lancaster, PA to Salt Lake City, UT ($108,592 → $106,437), while prices change by +2.7%. Net effect of the transfer: −4.5% in real buying power.
- Lancaster, PA: price level 98.3 (about average)
- Salt Lake City, UT: price level 100.9 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lancaster, PA | Salt Lake City, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.3 | 100.9 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $102,657 in Salt Lake City | $97,411 in Lancaster |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,220/mo | $1,456/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $76,110 | $75,646 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,070 (PA) | $3,534 (UT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 19% | 23% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $48,210 | $55,240 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA | Rest of U.S. |
Rent areas: Lancaster, PA MSA and Salt Lake City, UT HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Lancaster, PA and Salt Lake City-Murray, UT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lancaster | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 93.8 | 123.3 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 96.4 |
| Utilities | 107.3 | 79.0 |
| Other services | 97.7 | 99.0 |
| Overall | 98.3 | 100.9 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lancaster, PA → Salt Lake City, UT
Same pay buys less
Buying power −2.6%; rent takes 23% of take-home; state tax +$464/yr.
61 Fair offer
Salt Lake City, UT → Lancaster, PA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +2.7%; rent takes 19% of take-home; state tax −$464/yr.
77 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lancaster, PA is in the Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA pay area; Salt Lake City, UT is in Rest of U.S.. The last column shows what a transfer from Lancaster, PA to Salt Lake City, UT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lancaster, PA | Salt Lake City, UT | Real change, Lancaster → Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $62,972 | $61,722 | −4.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $76,190 | $74,678 | −4.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $91,320 | $89,508 | −4.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $108,592 | $106,437 | −4.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $128,323 | $125,776 | −4.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lancaster, PA | Salt Lake City, UT | Salt Lake City pay in Lancaster dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $78,360 | $77,920 | $75,903 (−3.1%) |
| Software Developers | $104,740 | $129,600 | $126,245 (+20.5%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $76,110 | $82,100 | $79,975 (+5.1%) |
| Registered Nurses | $89,620 | $85,890 | $83,667 (−6.6%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.