City comparison
Lancaster, PA vs San Luis Obispo, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in San Luis Obispo, CA are 10.5% higher than in Lancaster, PA. Someone earning $100,000 in Lancaster, PA would need about $110,500 in San Luis Obispo, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,914 a month in San Luis Obispo, CA versus $1,220 in Lancaster, PA. On $100,000, that's 31% of take-home pay in San Luis Obispo, CA and 19% in Lancaster, PA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $2,000 a year higher in San Luis Obispo, CA than in Lancaster, PA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +14.3% moving from Lancaster, PA to San Luis Obispo, CA ($108,592 → $124,085), while prices change by +10.5%. Net effect of the transfer: +3.4% in real buying power.
- Lancaster, PA: price level 98.3 (about average)
- San Luis Obispo, CA: price level 108.6 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lancaster, PA | San Luis Obispo, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.3 | 108.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $110,522 in San Luis Obispo | $90,479 in Lancaster |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,220/mo | $1,914/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $76,110 | $74,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,070 (PA) | $5,070 (CA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 19% | 31% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $48,210 | $50,770 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA | Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA |
Rent areas: Lancaster, PA MSA and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA MSA. Metro areas: Lancaster, PA and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lancaster | San Luis Obispo |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 93.8 | 144.4 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 105.2 |
| Utilities | 107.3 | 147.8 |
| Other services | 97.7 | 100.3 |
| Overall | 98.3 | 108.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lancaster, PA → San Luis Obispo, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −9.5%; rent takes 31% of take-home; state tax +$2,000/yr.
30 Weak offer
San Luis Obispo, CA → Lancaster, PA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +10.5%; rent takes 19% of take-home; state tax −$2,000/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lancaster, PA is in the Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA pay area; San Luis Obispo, CA is in Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Lancaster, PA to San Luis Obispo, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lancaster, PA | San Luis Obispo, CA | Real change, Lancaster → San Luis Obispo |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $62,972 | $71,957 | +3.4% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $76,190 | $87,061 | +3.4% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $91,320 | $104,349 | +3.4% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $108,592 | $124,085 | +3.4% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $128,323 | $146,632 | +3.4% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lancaster, PA | San Luis Obispo, CA | San Luis Obispo pay in Lancaster dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $78,360 | $97,620 | $88,326 (+12.7%) |
| Software Developers | $104,740 | $135,020 | $122,165 (+16.6%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $76,110 | $88,160 | $79,767 (+4.8%) |
| Registered Nurses | $89,620 | $138,820 | $125,603 (+40.2%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.