City comparison
Reading, PA vs San Luis Obispo, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in San Luis Obispo, CA are 11.9% higher than in Reading, PA. Someone earning $100,000 in Reading, PA would need about $111,900 in San Luis Obispo, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,914 a month in San Luis Obispo, CA versus $1,237 in Reading, PA. On $100,000, that's 31% of take-home pay in San Luis Obispo, CA and 20% in Reading, PA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $2,000 a year higher in San Luis Obispo, CA than in Reading, PA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +5.8% moving from Reading, PA to San Luis Obispo, CA ($117,284 → $124,085), while prices change by +11.9%. Net effect of the transfer: −5.4% in real buying power.
- Reading, PA: price level 97.1 (cheaper)
- San Luis Obispo, CA: price level 108.6 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Reading, PA | San Luis Obispo, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 97.1 | 108.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $111,885 in San Luis Obispo | $89,377 in Reading |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,237/mo | $1,914/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $76,110 | $74,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,070 (PA) | $5,070 (CA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 20% | 31% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $49,440 | $50,770 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA |
Rent areas: Reading, PA MSA and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA MSA. Metro areas: Reading, PA and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Reading | San Luis Obispo |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 85.4 | 144.4 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 105.2 |
| Utilities | 108.2 | 147.8 |
| Other services | 97.7 | 100.3 |
| Overall | 97.1 | 108.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Reading, PA → San Luis Obispo, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −10.6%; rent takes 31% of take-home; state tax +$2,000/yr.
29 Weak offer
San Luis Obispo, CA → Reading, PA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +11.9%; rent takes 20% of take-home; state tax −$2,000/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Reading, PA is in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD pay area; San Luis Obispo, CA is in Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Reading, PA to San Luis Obispo, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Reading, PA | San Luis Obispo, CA | Real change, Reading → San Luis Obispo |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,013 | $71,957 | −5.4% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,289 | $87,061 | −5.4% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,630 | $104,349 | −5.4% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,284 | $124,085 | −5.4% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,595 | $146,632 | −5.4% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Reading, PA | San Luis Obispo, CA | San Luis Obispo pay in Reading dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $79,860 | $97,620 | $87,250 (+9.3%) |
| Software Developers | $120,920 | $135,020 | $120,677 (−0.2%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $75,550 | $88,160 | $78,795 (+4.3%) |
| Registered Nurses | $98,470 | $138,820 | $124,073 (+26.0%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.