What salary do you need to live in Altoona, PA?

What housing costs in Altoona

Renters in Altoona pay a median $896 a month for two bedrooms. Size matters: one bedroom is $701, three bedrooms $1,041, so going from the smallest to the largest of the three adds $4,080 a year.

On the ownership side, the typical owner-occupied home is valued at $161,100. Against a median household income of $62,382, the ratio is 2.6× — one of the gentler home-price-to-income ratios in the country.

Price levels matter beyond rent. The Bureau of Economic Analysis measures Altoona's overall prices at 89.5 on a scale where the nation is 100, which makes a $100,000 salary feel like about $111,723 would elsewhere.

Altoona: the pre-tax income for each grade

With a two-bedroom at the median rent, the score enters Tight at $20,000, Okay at $42,000 and Comfortable at $85,000 a year before tax. At the Comfortable line, a year of rent takes 13% of income and the median home is 1.9× income.

The Royal grade is within reach at $249,000 a year, where both rent and the median home price look small next to income.

Nothing here is a separate rule of thumb; plug any of these incomes into the calculator with two bedrooms and Altoona shows the matching grade.

Scores at $50K, $75K, $100K and $150K in Altoona

At $75,000, a one-bedroom scores 66 (Comfortable), a two-bedroom 62 (Okay) and a three-bedroom 59 (Okay). The $4,080 a year between the smallest and largest home is what moves the grade.

Of the four salaries, $100,000 is the first where a two-bedroom reads Comfortable or better; $75,000 still lands at Okay.

How Altoona ranks among 387 metros

Ranked against all 387 metros, Altoona sits 298th on overall price level and 359th on the two-bedroom rent median, counting from the most expensive. Its median home value ranks 363rd.

Its nearest neighbors on the rent list are Morristown, TN ($900) and Brownsville-Harlingen, TX ($893).

Altoona vs. the rest of Pennsylvania

How Altoona stacks up against its state: $896 for a two-bedroom against Pennsylvania's $1,245, $161,100 for the median home against $254,500, and a price level of 89.5 against 97.6.

Run Pennsylvania's statewide medians through the same score and Comfortable begins at $150,000; Altoona's line is −43% from that.

The nearest matches in Pennsylvania, judged on rent and price parity together, are Erie, PA, Williamsport, PA, and Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Altoona's median income on the scale

What about a typical local household? Census puts median household income here at $62,382, which grades Okay (56) for a two-bedroom at the median rent. The Comfortable line is 36% above what the median household makes. For Pennsylvania as a whole, the median household income of $77,971 scores 46 against statewide rents. A household figure may pool several earners, unlike a single salary.

These are pre-tax estimates from public statistics, not financial advice.