The Average Rent in Pittsburgh
Fries on a sandwich. Black and gold. Mr. Rogers. All these bridges and tunnels, rivers and hills. Pittsburgh has a lot to offer. No longer the hazy industrial Steel City of the past, the new Pittsburgh is a modern, liveable and desirable metropolis. Partly on the East Coast, part in the Midwest, Pittsburgh is a great place to live and, thankfully, quite affordable.
From Duquesne Heights across the Golden Triangle to Shadyside, Pittsburgh is a city of unique neighborhoods. But which one is right for you? It all depends on how much you can easily pay in rent. When we take a look at the average Pittsburgh rent by neighborhood, median income and wages, and overall cost of living in 412, it’s possible to see which neighborhoods are calling you.
What’s the average rent in Pittsburgh?
Although Pittsburgh is technically in one of the expensive northeastern states, rents in the City of Steel are undoubtedly more Midwestern. While the national average rent for a bedroom is around $ 1,600 per month, the same units in Pittsburgh are slightly lower at $ 1,578.
However, as rents across the country grew year on year starting in 2019, up 0.75%, the average rent in Pittsburgh has increased at an even greater rate. But despite an increase of 1.81% from last year, rents in Pittsburgh still exceed the national average in terms of affordability.
How much do I have to earn to live in Pittsburgh?
Experts say Americans shouldn’t spend more than 30% of their gross income (before tax) on housing, including rent. This is good news for the Pittsburghers. Rents for an average room in the city are well within the recommended price based on the local average annual salary.
The average monthly rental price for a bedroom in Pittsburgh, as noted above, is a reasonable $ 1,578. Extrapolated over a full year, this represents a total of $ 18,936. If that figure is 30% of their total income, that’s an affordable rate for someone making $ 63,120 a year.
According to Payscale.com, the average annual salary in Pittsburgh is $ 65,000, which is almost $ 2,000 more than it takes to comfortably rent a mid-priced one-bedroom unit. In fact, a Pittsburgh resident earning the average salary could afford to rent an apartment for $ 1,625 per month at 30% expense.
Want to know how much an affordable apartment costs for you based on your personal income? Check out the Apartment Guide’s handy rent calculator.
The cost of living in Pittsburgh
While Pittsburgh mimics the affordability of the Midwest, there’s no denying that it’s still a city with urban prices. Many goods and services here are more expensive than their national averages. Overall, the cost of living index in Pittsburgh is 103.7. This figure is 3.7% higher than the average for the United States as a whole, with an index of 100 representing the national average.
The city also over-indexes the national average for other categories like utilities and transportation. But conversely, it’s slightly cheaper than average for healthcare and miscellaneous goods and services.
- Global: The overall cost of living index in Pittsburgh is 3.7% higher than the national average.
- Groceries: The cost of living index for groceries in Pittsburgh is 10.4% higher than the national average.
- Housing: The cost of living index for accommodation in Pittsburgh is 4.9% higher than the national average.
- Utilities: The utility cost of living index in Pittsburgh is 18% above the national average.
- Transport: The cost of living index for transportation in Pittsburgh is 16.6% higher than the national average.
- Health care: The health care cost of living index in Pittsburgh is 7.6% lower than the national average.
- Miscellaneous goods and services: The cost of living index for miscellaneous goods and services in Pittsburgh is 5.7% lower than the national average.
The most and cheapest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh
You now know which rents are best suited to your budget, your salary and your cost of living. But where are the most and cheapest apartments in Pittsburgh?
If you want to live in the more expensive areas of the city, expect higher rents around the Golden Triangle and on the south side. To save money, look for leases on the outskirts of town and in and around Oakland.
The most expensive neighborhoods in Pittsburgh
It is not surprising to see that the most expensive rents in Pittsburgh are in the areas closest to the rivers. The highest rental prices in Steel City are found primarily in two regions.
Rents are highest in trendy neighborhoods along the Monongahela River across from the city center. This includes almost anything that has “South” in the name, including the South Side, South Shore, and South Side apartments.
Across the Monongahela, rents are also among the highest in the city. The Downtown Golden Triangle, Cultural District, and Fifth and Forbes neighborhoods are likely expensive, though still reasonable in Pittsburgh. This trend continues north along the Allegheny in the Strip District and to the center bend in Lawrenceville.
The East Carson Street corridor that runs through South Side Flats is the most expensive rental area. One of the main reasons it ranks first is a sharp rise in rental prices, up over 26% from the same period last year. The price of apartments on the south side itself has also increased by 21%.
* May not be a true representation of the market due to insufficient inventory
The cheapest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh
A number of Pittsburgh’s more affordable rental neighborhoods can be found in the inter-river region east of downtown, primarily through the East End South. Several of these are found in the Hill District and include the Oaklands. Bedford Dwellings, just south of the expensive Strip District, has the lowest average rents in the city.
Several other affordable neighborhoods surround the city, from Squirrel Hill South in the east to South Park Township in the south to Fairywood in the west. A few other less expensive neighborhoods in Pittsburgh reside on the north side of the river. Troy Hill and its panoramic views of the city and Northshore, home to Heinz Field and PNC Park, also remain inexpensive, despite their entertainment options, livability, and proximity to downtown.
* May not be a true representation of the market due to insufficient inventory
Average Rental Prices in Pittsburgh Neighborhoods
Every neighborhood in Pittsburgh has its own charm, from residential to bustling to historic. And each has its own level of rent affordability.
* May not be a true representation of the market due to insufficient inventory
Find your Pittsburgh neighborhood
Now that you have an idea of the average Pittsburgh rent in each neighborhood, it’s time to find the neighborhood that’s right for you. Whether you are assessing your current rent in Steel City or planning to relocate across the country, you can find the perfect Pittsburgh neighborhood on Apartment Guide.
Rental prices are based on a moving weighted average of Rent.com’s Apartment Guide and Multi-Family Rental Inventory for one-bedroom apartments. The data was extracted in December 2020 and is one year old. We use a weighted average formula that more accurately represents the price availability for each individual unit type and reduces the influence of seasonality on rental prices in specific markets.
Neighborhoods with insufficient inventory were excluded.
Data on the cost of living come from the Community and Economic Research Council.
The rental information included in this article is used for illustration purposes only. The data contained in this document does not constitute financial advice or a price guarantee for any apartment.
