City comparison
Reading, PA vs Vallejo, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Vallejo, CA are 11.8% higher than in Reading, PA. Someone earning $100,000 in Reading, PA would need about $111,800 in Vallejo, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,705 a month in Vallejo, CA versus $1,237 in Reading, PA. On $100,000, that's 28% of take-home pay in Vallejo, CA and 20% in Reading, PA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $2,000 a year higher in Vallejo, CA than in Reading, PA.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +13.5% moving from Reading, PA to Vallejo, CA ($117,284 → $133,060), while prices change by +11.8%. Net effect of the transfer: +1.5% in real buying power.
- Reading, PA: price level 97.1 (cheaper)
- Vallejo, CA: price level 108.5 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Reading, PA | Vallejo, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 97.1 | 108.5 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $111,765 in Vallejo | $89,474 in Reading |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,237/mo | $1,705/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 | 20% | 28% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $49,440 | $58,620 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA |
Rent areas: Reading, PA MSA and Vallejo, CA MSA. Metro areas: Reading, PA and Vallejo, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Reading | Vallejo |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 85.4 | 142.0 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 105.2 |
| Utilities | 108.2 | 155.0 |
| Other services | 97.7 | 100.3 |
| Overall | 97.1 | 108.5 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Reading, PA → Vallejo, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −10.5%; rent takes 28% of take-home; state tax +$2,000/yr.
34 Weak offer
Vallejo, CA → Reading, PA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +11.8%; rent takes 20% of take-home; state tax −$2,000/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Reading, PA is in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD pay area; Vallejo, CA is in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Reading, PA to Vallejo, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Reading, PA | Vallejo, CA | Real change, Reading → Vallejo |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,013 | $77,161 | +1.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,289 | $93,358 | +1.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,630 | $111,896 | +1.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,284 | $133,060 | +1.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,595 | $157,236 | +1.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Reading, PA | Vallejo, CA | Vallejo pay in Reading dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $79,860 | $100,790 | $90,180 (+12.9%) |
| Software Developers | $120,920 | $136,930 | $122,516 (+1.3%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $75,550 | $95,800 | $85,716 (+13.5%) |
| Registered Nurses | $98,470 | $203,290 | $181,891 (+84.7%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.