Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
Pennsylvania
Allentown is the Lehigh Valley commuter market in Pennsylvania, promoted in source-ready batch 01 for comparisons around housing, wages, utilities, taxes, benefits, and moving costs.
Pennsylvania
Reading is a lower-cost regional market in Pennsylvania, useful for starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Comparison
Reading has the lower salary-needed estimate, while Reading has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Reading minus Allentown.
| Metric | Allentown | Reading | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,734 | $1,441 | -$293 | Reading | Reading has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $312,103 | $264,716 | -$47,387 | Reading | Reading has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $196/mo | $208/mo | +$12/mo | Allentown | Allentown has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 102 | 105 | +3 | Allentown | Allentown has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $58,500 | $53,300 | -$5,200 | Reading | Reading has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 81/100 | 78/100 | -3 | Allentown | Allentown has the higher move score. |