Cost of Living Index

Pittsburgh’s average Composite Cost of Living Index for 2017 was 99.6, below the benchmark average of 108.

Grocery costs in the Pittsburgh region were the highest Cost of Living component at 110.8.

Health care costs in Pittsburgh were the third-lowest among all benchmark regions at 94.1. The health care component component is based on the costs of various doctor visits as well as the price of prescription drugs.

The Cost of Living Index measures relative price levels for consumer goods and services in participating areas. The average for all participating places, both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan, equals 100, and each participant’s index is read as a percentage of the average for all places.