PA's Top 10 'Most Affordable' Cities: List

PENNSYLVANIA — There may be plenty of reasons for residents to complain about the cost of living in the densely populated Philadelphia and Pittsburgh suburbs, but a recent SmartAsset analysis looked at where Pennsylvanians can go to save costs in a big way. And with the rise of remote work in the wake of the pandemic, moving away is a dream that is suddenly closer to reality.

SmartAsset looked at factors such as average annual mortgage payment, median income and property taxes when determining which Pennsylvania cities were the most affordable.

Pennsylvania's average annual mortgage payment is about $6,508, but many of the top 10 most affordable locations barely surpass $2,000, according to a SmartAsset statement. Closing costs, property taxes, and homeowner's insurance costs were also lower in those areas.

The following are Pennsylvania's 10 most affordable cities, according to SmartAsset.

1. Oil City
2. Shamokin
3. Mt. Carmel
4. Clairton
5. McKeesport
6. Vandergrift
7. Duquesne
8. McKees Rocks
9. Tamaqua
10. Dubois

Click here to see the full list.

Most of these locations are in two clusters: a stretch near coal country west of the Lehigh Valley into central Pennsylvania, and an area on the outskirts of Allegheny County in the south and central west region.

The cost of living may be lower in the 10 most affordable cities, but wages, of course, were lower there, too, according to SmartAsset.

Pennsylvania's median income was about $61,744, but most of the cities on the list were less than half of that. McKees Rocks was the lowest at $26,259.

Oil City, however, the "most affordable," had a higher median income, at $39,750.

View the complete SmartAsset analysis.