Overall
89.5
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Altoona, PA
Cost-of-living indicators for Altoona, PA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 89.5
- Overall RPP
- #298
- of 387 metros
- 55.0
- Rents RPP
- $112K
- $100K national buys
Altoona ranks #298 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.4 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Wichita Falls
The verdict
Altoona costs less than 77% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 89.5, 10.5% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 55.0.
- bottom 23%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 100.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 107.7
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $111,723 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $89,507.
Altoona vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
90 Bottom 23% higher than 23% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Altoona cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
55 RPP
- Services
Services
107.7 RPP
- Overall
Overall
89.5 RPP
- Goods
Goods
100.7 RPP
What this shows Altoona's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 55.0 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 107.7. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Altoona's cost comes from
Metros near Altoona's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Altoona (Altoona, this metro): goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 55
- Wichita Falls: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 68.2
- Longview: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 66.7
- Columbia: goods RPP 94.2, rents RPP 69.2
- Canton: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 58.1
- Kokomo: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 59.3
- Little Rock: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 68.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
100.7
Above avg
Services
107.7
Above avg
Rents
55.0
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Altoona's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Altoona: rents index at 55.0, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 89.5.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Erie, PA, Williamsport, PA, Lebanon, PA. They resemble Altoona across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Altoona's overall index has fallen by 4.4 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$89,507
in Altoona, PA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$44,754
$75,000 nationally
$67,130
$125,000 nationally
$111,884
$150,000 nationally
$134,261
$200,000 nationally
$179,014
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
92/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
92nd percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 4.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2014, when the index dropped 3.5 points from the year before.
Altoona overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 93.9 |
| 2009 | 91.7 |
| 2010 | 93.7 |
| 2011 | 93.5 |
| 2012 | 92.3 |
| 2013 | 92.8 |
| 2014 | 89.3 |
| 2015 | 92.5 |
| 2016 | 91.5 |
| 2017 | 91.2 |
| 2018 | 91.3 |
| 2019 | 90.7 |
| 2020 | 89.7 |
| 2021 | 89.3 |
| 2022 | 89.0 |
| 2023 | 88.7 |
| 2024 | 89.5 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Altoona's overall RPP rose +0.8 points, from 88.7 in 2023 to 89.5 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 117.1 to 107.7. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Altoona's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Erie, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 106.8 · Rents 56.8 Williamsport, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 107.5 · Rents 64.4 Lebanon, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 108.4 · Rents 66.0 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 106.5 · Rents 67.0 Johnstown, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 108.9 · Rents 42.3 Canton-Massillon, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.9 · Rents 58.1
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Altoona, PA's index of 89.5.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
PA-relative analysis
Rent prices places Altoona, PA near the bottom of PA's metros
Among the 16 PA metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, Altoona, PA ranks #15 - the 6th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Altoona, PA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 16
13th percentile in PA
Services prices
#9 of 16
44th percentile in PA
Rent prices
#15 of 16
6th percentile in PA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within PA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Altoona, PA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (89.5 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (55.0 here).
Other PA Metros
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 102.6 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 100.0 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 98.7 Lancaster, PA 98.3 Reading, PA 97.1 State College, PA 96.8
View all PA metros → Cheapest in PA → Most expensive in PA →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Altoona
How to read Altoona's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $111,723 in Altoona. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 55.0, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Altoona head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Altoona, PA?
Altoona, PA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 89.5, meaning it is 10.5% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 100.7, services at 107.7, and rents at 55.0. It ranks #298 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Altoona, PA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $89,507 in Altoona, PA. Conversely, $100K earned in Altoona, PA has the purchasing power of $111,723 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Altoona, PA?
Rents in Altoona, PA are indexed at 55.0, which is 45.0% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Altoona, PA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Altoona, PA's overall cost index changed by -4.4 points (from 93.9 to 89.5). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Altoona, PA?
The priciest category in Altoona, PA is services at 107.7, 7.7% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 55.0, 45.0% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Altoona, PA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Wichita Falls, Longview, Columbia. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Altoona, PA's 89.5.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.