City comparison
Brownsville, TX vs York, PA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in York, PA are 11.7% higher than in Brownsville, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Brownsville, TX would need about $111,700 in York, PA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,060 a month in York, PA versus $866 in Brownsville, TX. On $100,000, that's 17% of take-home pay in York, PA and 13% in Brownsville, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,070 a year higher in York, PA than in Brownsville, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +14.4% moving from Brownsville, TX to York, PA ($106,437 → $121,785), while prices change by +11.7%. Net effect of the transfer: +2.5% in real buying power.
- Brownsville, TX: price level 86.0 (much cheaper)
- York, PA: price level 96.0 (cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Brownsville, TX | York, PA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 86.0 | 96.0 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $111,660 in York | $89,557 in Brownsville |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $866/mo | $1,060/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $76,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $3,070 (PA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 13% | 17% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $36,490 | $48,170 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA |
Rent areas: Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA and York-Hanover, PA MSA. Metro areas: Brownsville-Harlingen, TX and York-Hanover, PA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Brownsville | York |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 57.7 | 79.8 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 100.7 |
| Utilities | 81.2 | 107.0 |
| Other services | 96.2 | 97.7 |
| Overall | 86.0 | 96.0 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Brownsville, TX → York, PA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −10.4%; rent takes 17% of take-home; state tax +$3,070/yr.
38 Weak offer
York, PA → Brownsville, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +11.7%; rent takes 13% of take-home; state tax −$3,070/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Brownsville, TX is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; York, PA is in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA. The last column shows what a transfer from Brownsville, TX to York, PA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Brownsville, TX | York, PA | Real change, Brownsville → York |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $70,623 | +2.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $85,447 | +2.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $102,415 | +2.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $121,785 | +2.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $143,913 | +2.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Brownsville, TX | York, PA | York pay in Brownsville dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $63,350 | $79,730 | $71,404 (+12.7%) |
| Software Developers | $106,990 | $114,600 | $102,633 (−4.1%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $66,440 | $75,160 | $67,311 (+1.3%) |
| Registered Nurses | $81,090 | $96,210 | $86,163 (+6.3%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.