City comparison
Lancaster, PA vs Visalia, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Visalia, CA are 1.6% higher than in Lancaster, PA. Someone earning $100,000 in Lancaster, PA would need about $101,600 in Visalia, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,220 a month in Lancaster, PA versus $1,123 in Visalia, CA. On $100,000, that's 19% of take-home pay in Lancaster, PA and 18% in Visalia, CA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $2,000 a year higher in Visalia, CA than in Lancaster, PA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −1.5% moving from Lancaster, PA to Visalia, CA ($108,592 → $106,973), while prices change by +1.6%. Net effect of the transfer: −3.0% in real buying power.
- Lancaster, PA: price level 98.3 (about average)
- Visalia, CA: price level 99.8 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lancaster, PA | Visalia, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.3 | 99.8 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $101,596 in Visalia | $98,429 in Lancaster |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,220/mo | $1,123/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% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $48,210 | $45,130 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA | Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA |
Rent areas: Lancaster, PA MSA and Visalia, CA MSA. Metro areas: Lancaster, PA and Visalia, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lancaster | Visalia |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 93.8 | 84.1 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 105.2 |
| Utilities | 107.3 | 156.4 |
| Other services | 97.7 | 100.3 |
| Overall | 98.3 | 99.8 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lancaster, PA → Visalia, CA
Roughly even
Buying power −1.6%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax +$2,000/yr.
64 Fair offer
Visalia, CA → Lancaster, PA
Roughly even
Buying power +1.6%; rent takes 19% of take-home; state tax −$2,000/yr.
74 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lancaster, PA is in the Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA pay area; Visalia, CA is in Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Lancaster, PA to Visalia, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lancaster, PA | Visalia, CA | Real change, Lancaster → Visalia |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $62,972 | $62,033 | −3.0% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $76,190 | $75,055 | −3.0% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $91,320 | $89,959 | −3.0% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $108,592 | $106,973 | −3.0% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $128,323 | $126,410 | −3.0% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lancaster, PA | Visalia, CA | Visalia pay in Lancaster dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $78,360 | $98,430 | $96,884 (+23.6%) |
| Software Developers | $104,740 | $126,170 | $124,188 (+18.6%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $76,110 | $79,400 | $78,153 (+2.7%) |
| Registered Nurses | $89,620 | $125,180 | $123,214 (+37.5%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.