Overall
91.0
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Erie, PA
Cost-of-living indicators for Erie, PA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 91.0
- Overall RPP
- #271
- of 387 metros
- 56.8
- Rents RPP
- $110K
- $100K national buys
Erie ranks #271 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 5.5 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to College Station-Bryan
The verdict
Erie costs less than 70% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 91.0, 9.0% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 56.8.
- bottom 30%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 100.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 106.8
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $109,951 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $90,950.
Erie vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
91 Bottom 30% higher than 30% 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
Erie cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
56.8 RPP
- Services
Services
106.8 RPP
- Overall
Overall
91 RPP
- Goods
Goods
100.7 RPP
What this shows Erie's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 56.8 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 106.8. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Erie's cost comes from
Metros near Erie's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Erie (Erie, this metro): goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 56.8
- College Station: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 75.1
- Clarksville: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 73.8
- Mankato: goods RPP 95.4, rents RPP 79.9
- Saginaw: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 63.6
- Bismarck: goods RPP 95.7, rents RPP 84
- Fargo: goods RPP 95.7, rents RPP 81.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
100.7
Above avg
Services
106.8
Above avg
Rents
56.8
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Erie's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Erie: rents index at 56.8, 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 91.0.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Altoona, PA, Williamsport, PA, Lebanon, PA. They resemble Erie 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, Erie's overall index has fallen by 5.5 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:
$90,950
in Erie, PA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,475
$75,000 nationally
$68,213
$125,000 nationally
$113,688
$150,000 nationally
$136,425
$200,000 nationally
$181,900
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
B
89/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability B
89th 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.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Erie's overall RPP fell -1.0 points, from 91.9 in 2023 to 91.0 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 115.9 to 106.8. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending downward, decreasing by 5.5 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index dropped 3.0 points from the year before.
Erie overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 96.5 |
| 2009 | 93.4 |
| 2010 | 94.6 |
| 2011 | 93.9 |
| 2012 | 95.3 |
| 2013 | 96.3 |
| 2014 | 93.8 |
| 2015 | 94.6 |
| 2016 | 95.5 |
| 2017 | 96.6 |
| 2018 | 94.6 |
| 2019 | 93.9 |
| 2020 | 92.8 |
| 2021 | 91.9 |
| 2022 | 90.7 |
| 2023 | 91.9 |
| 2024 | 91.0 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Erie'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.
Altoona, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 107.7 · Rents 55.0 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 Canton-Massillon, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.9 · Rents 58.1 Sandusky, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.7 · Rents 59.5
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Erie, PA's index of 91.0.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
PA-relative analysis
Services prices places Erie, PA near the bottom of PA's metros
Among the 16 PA metros PlainCost tracks with reported services prices data, Erie, PA ranks #15 - the 6th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Erie, PA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 16
13th percentile in PA
Services prices
#15 of 16
6th percentile in PA
Rent prices
#14 of 16
13th 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 Erie, 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 (91.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (56.8 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 Erie
How to read Erie'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 $109,951 in Erie. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 56.8, 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 Erie 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 Erie, PA?
Erie, PA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 91.0, meaning it is 9.0% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 100.7, services at 106.8, and rents at 56.8. It ranks #271 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Erie, PA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $90,950 in Erie, PA. Conversely, $100K earned in Erie, PA has the purchasing power of $109,951 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Erie, PA?
Rents in Erie, PA are indexed at 56.8, which is 43.2% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Erie, PA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Erie, PA's overall cost index changed by -5.5 points (from 96.5 to 91.0). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Erie, PA?
The priciest category in Erie, PA is services at 106.8, 6.8% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 56.8, 43.2% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Erie, PA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include College Station-Bryan, Clarksville, Mankato. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Erie, PA's 91.0.
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.