City comparison
Mobile, AL vs York, PA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in York, PA are 9.0% higher than in Mobile, AL. Someone earning $100,000 in Mobile, AL would need about $109,000 in York, PA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,060 a month in York, PA versus $919 in Mobile, AL. On $100,000, that's 17% of take-home pay in York, PA and 15% in Mobile, AL.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $1,665 a year higher in Mobile, AL than in York, PA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +14.4% moving from Mobile, AL to York, PA ($106,437 → $121,785), while prices change by +9.0%. Net effect of the transfer: +5.0% in real buying power.
- Mobile, AL: price level 88.1 (much cheaper)
- York, PA: price level 96.0 (cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Mobile, AL | York, PA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 88.1 | 96.0 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $108,970 in York | $91,769 in Mobile |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $919/mo | $1,060/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,445 | $76,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $4,735 (AL) | $3,070 (PA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 15% | 17% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,000 | $48,170 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA |
Rent areas: Mobile, AL MSA and York-Hanover, PA MSA. Metro areas: Mobile, AL and York-Hanover, PA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Mobile | York |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 60.1 | 79.8 |
| Goods | 96.4 | 100.7 |
| Utilities | 84.2 | 107.0 |
| Other services | 96.7 | 97.7 |
| Overall | 88.1 | 96.0 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Mobile, AL → York, PA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −8.2%; rent takes 17% of take-home; state tax −$1,665/yr.
43 Weak offer
York, PA → Mobile, AL
Same pay goes further
Buying power +9.0%; rent takes 15% of take-home; state tax +$1,665/yr.
97 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Mobile, AL is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; York, PA is in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA. The last column shows what a transfer from Mobile, AL to York, PA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Mobile, AL | York, PA | Real change, Mobile → York |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $70,623 | +5.0% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $85,447 | +5.0% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $102,415 | +5.0% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $121,785 | +5.0% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $143,913 | +5.0% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Mobile, AL | York, PA | York pay in Mobile dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $60,970 | $79,730 | $73,167 (+20.0%) |
| Software Developers | $122,540 | $114,600 | $105,167 (−14.2%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $72,130 | $75,160 | $68,973 (−4.4%) |
| Registered Nurses | $79,490 | $96,210 | $88,291 (+11.1%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.