How expensive it is to live in Pittsburgh?

[LukFilm]

Hi guys!
Plan on moving to Pittsburgh (not a done deal, but a possibility), how expensive is it to live in Pittsburgh or surrounding area up to 1 hour from Pittsburgh? I'm thinking a three-bedroom, four-bedroom house. Thanks.

 

[conjur]

Compare cost of living between two cities

But, I would think it's not too bad.

Also, just go to http://www.realtor.com and search for houses with those criteria and see the prices/styles.

BTW, up to 1 hour from Pittsburgh could get you into some VERY cheap areas of eastern Ohio or northern West Virginia.

 

[PunDogg]

its not too bad, but it also depends on where u live(how far from pittsburgh), i live 45 mins away, its alot cheaper to live here in Greensburg than in pittsburgh. I can;t give any prices, but try this out
Northwood y not call or email one of the places and ask for a avg. price for the type of house you are looking for

Dogg

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

I went to Pittsburgh for a while on business, and I thought it was an awesome city - especially if you like sports

 

[Rob9874]

My wife is from Uniontown (about an hour south of Pitt), and begs me to move back every day. We're in Phoenix now, where home prices are pretty low (avg. ~ $140K). But in Uniontown, you can get older 3 bedrooms for $40K-$60K. But, you have to live in Western PA. <shudder>

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Originally posted by: Rob9874
My wife is from Uniontown (about an hour south of Pitt), and begs me to move back every day. We're in Phoenix now, where home prices are pretty low (avg. ~ $140K). But in Uniontown, you can get older 3 bedrooms for $40K-$60K. But, you have to live in Western PA. <SHUDDER>

I did not think it was that bad. Erie was bad, but Pittsburgh was nice. Just move there and pretend you are from Pittsburgh.

 

[LordThing]

I moved up to Pittsburgh from WV and have lived in different areas. It really depends on what part of the City you are willing to live in. Honestly, to me, it doesn't matter if I am living in Brookline or Dormont compared to Upper Saint Clair, Cranberry or whatever. Names mean nothing to me. We just bought a older home that is a 3 bedroom for 72k in brookline. Brookline is a older section of town but within city limits.


Things to remember when considering where you want to live in pittsburgh :

Schools - Check out the school districts. City schools are often rated lower, but I don't have any kids so it doesn't matter to me.

Taxes - Live in city limits, your property taxes are alot lower than outside city. But you pay a higher wage tax (3% vs. 1 or 2% in different buroughs).

Traffic. - Choose an area that is as close as you can get to work or a major artery like the Parkway or I-79. Places like Carnegie, Dormont, Brookline are all older sections of town but are easy to hop onto a main road to get where you want to go. I live litterally 1 mile away from the Liberty tunnels and that means I could be downtown in about 5 min if there was no traffic. Makes for some easy jumps to the bars. Everyone works in town and lives out of town. Honestly, shop the areas and pick one that suits you and where you work cause traffic sucks.

Shopping/Food- Often areas are kinda clustered. I honestly loved the Baldwin/Pleasant Hills areas. It's near a major shopping hub called "Century 3". I loved living in that area, but the housing prices are a bit higher. Again, go back to the traffic and work thing. Find out where you are going to work and see if that area works for you. It's outside city limits, but there is a major road (Route 51) that takes you right into downtown in about 15-20 min with traffic. Robinson is another area along with Monroeville and Cranberry that is considered "shopping hubs" where there is a buttload of shopping and food in one small area.

I guess it boils down to where you work and what is your price range. It's a buyers market right now because interest rates are low. If you are working/living in the south hills area, I can get you in touch with our rep if you want. She was very good.

PM if you have any other questions/wants