The cost of living in Greater Reading, PA means that you get more for less money. This is not a joke.
So, how do we know this? Well without showing our inner geek too much, we use the Cost of Living Index through the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). This looks at a number of main areas: Grocery items (13.40%), housing (29.34%), utilities (8.94%), transportation (9.22%), health care (4.26%) and miscellaneous goods and services (34.48%) – making up a composite index, or the area’s cost of living number.
A total of 60 items are used to score an area’s cost of living (including gasoline, rent, a gallon of milk, a three-pack of Penn Brand Tennis Balls, a pair of boy’s jeans and yoga classes) tie into the pricing of an area.
Greater Reading’s cost of living is 89.5 on a 100-point scale. Note: Anything below 100 is considered more affordable than average.
So, what is driving this score? Our housing plays a large part. It accounts for nearly 30% of the total score. And our housing score for Q3 2019 was 78.1, showing how the affordability of housing in our community helps make Greater Reading an attractive + AFFORDABLE place to live.
Greater Reading’s score is lower this year than last, not because the price of goods and services have not increased, but because prices have increased more slowly than the national average. So, if you are looking to stretch your dollar – Greater Reading must be on your list!
