Overall
85.9
Cheap
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Johnstown, PA
Cost-of-living indicators for Johnstown, PA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 85.9
- Overall RPP
- #368
- of 387 metros
- 42.3
- Rents RPP
- $116K
- $100K national buys
Johnstown ranks #368 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has fallen 4.8 points since 2008.
- falling since 2008
- similar cost to Lawton
The verdict
Johnstown costs less than 95% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 85.9, 14.1% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 42.3.
- bottom 5%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 100.7
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 108.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $116,375 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $85,929.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Johnstown's overall RPP fell -2.6 points, from 88.5 in 2023 to 85.9 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 118.4 to 108.9. 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 4.8 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2024, when the index dropped 2.6 points from the year before.
Johnstown overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 90.7 |
| 2009 | 90.9 |
| 2010 | 90.5 |
| 2011 | 88.9 |
| 2012 | 86.8 |
| 2013 | 88.6 |
| 2014 | 89.1 |
| 2015 | 88.6 |
| 2016 | 88.7 |
| 2017 | 90.8 |
| 2018 | 89.3 |
| 2019 | 87.1 |
| 2020 | 87.6 |
| 2021 | 86.2 |
| 2022 | 87.4 |
| 2023 | 88.5 |
| 2024 | 85.9 |
Johnstown vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
86 Bottom 5% higher than 5% 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
Johnstown cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents 42.3
Rents
42.3 RPP
- Services
Services
108.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
85.9 RPP
- Goods
Goods
100.7 RPP
What this shows Johnstown's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 42.3 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 108.9. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Johnstown's cost comes from
Metros near Johnstown's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Johnstown (Johnstown, this metro): goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 42.3
- Lawton: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.4
- Anniston: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 54.7
- McAllen: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 55.9
- Fort Smith: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.4
- Brownsville: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 57.7
- Jonesboro: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 53.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
100.7
Above avg
Services
108.9
Above avg
Rents
42.3
Cheap
Housing-led affordability profile
How Johnstown's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Johnstown: rents index at 42.3, 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 85.9.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Altoona, PA, Erie, PA, Parkersburg-Vienna, WV. They resemble Johnstown 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, Johnstown's overall index has fallen by 4.8 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:
$85,929
in Johnstown, PA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$42,965
$75,000 nationally
$64,447
$125,000 nationally
$107,411
$150,000 nationally
$128,894
$200,000 nationally
$171,858
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
A
100/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability A
100th 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.
PA-relative analysis
Rent prices places Johnstown, PA near the bottom of PA's metros
Among the 16 PA metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, Johnstown, PA ranks #16 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Johnstown, PA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 16
13th percentile in PA
Services prices
#3 of 16
81st percentile in PA
Rent prices
#16 of 16
0th 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 Johnstown, 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 (85.9 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (42.3 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 →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Johnstown'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 Erie, PA
Goods 100.7 · Services 106.8 · Rents 56.8 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
Goods 96.3 · Services 92.9 · Rents 45.9 Wheeling, WV-OH
Goods 96.4 · Services 94.9 · Rents 51.4 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH
Goods 96.4 · Services 95.0 · Rents 52.4 Youngstown-Warren, OH
Goods 93.6 · Services 96.3 · Rents 53.4
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Johnstown, PA's index of 85.9.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
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.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Johnstown
How to read Johnstown'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 $116,375 in Johnstown. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 42.3, 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 Johnstown 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 Johnstown, PA?
Johnstown, PA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 85.9, meaning it is 14.1% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 100.7, services at 108.9, and rents at 42.3. It ranks #368 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Johnstown, PA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $85,929 in Johnstown, PA. Conversely, $100K earned in Johnstown, PA has the purchasing power of $116,375 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Johnstown, PA?
Rents in Johnstown, PA are indexed at 42.3, which is 57.7% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Johnstown, PA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Johnstown, PA's overall cost index changed by -4.8 points (from 90.7 to 85.9). The cost of living has been declining.
What costs the most in Johnstown, PA?
The priciest category in Johnstown, PA is services at 108.9, 8.9% above the national average. The most affordable category is rents at 42.3, 57.7% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Johnstown, PA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Lawton, Anniston-Oxford, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Johnstown, PA's 85.9.
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.