

New York vs Reading
$1,148/mo more in Reading
New YorkReadingAbout 113 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- Reading leaves you more
- Property tax 1.77%
- Rent under 30% of pay
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,390/mo in Reading. $1,242/mo in New York. +$13,776 a year.
New York
$1,242
left each month
Reading
$2,390
+$1,148 vs New York
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 1,088 households moved New York → Reading (avg AGI $38,781). 416 went the other way. The whole move →
+$1,148 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | New York | Reading | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,292 | $7,355 | −$1,936 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,886 | $1,781 | −$1,105 |
| Take-home pay | $6,405 | $5,574 | −$831 |
| Rent | $3,018 | $1,167 | −$1,851 |
| Getting around | $347 | $563 | +$216 |
| Groceries | $496 | $401 | −$95 |
| Healthcare | $558 | $451 | −$107 |
| Utilities | $310 | $251 | −$59 |
| Everything else | $434 | $351 | −$83 |
| Left over | $1,242 | $2,390 | +$1,148 |
Salary to match New York
$67,500
Gross pay in Reading that leaves the same amount as $111,500 in New York.
Tax difference
+$6,371
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 31.1% in New York, 24.2% in Reading.
More about Reading
New York, NY in full
The one place where skipping a car genuinely offsets the rent.
Reading, PA in full
A flat 3.07% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,389 and 195 sunny days; commutes average 25 minutes.
The other way
Start in Reading.
Reading → New York →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Reading than New York?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Reading leaves about $1,148 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $3,018 in New York and $1,167 in Reading.
Does Reading have state income tax?
Reading is in Pennsylvania, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 1.00%.
What changes if you move from New York to Reading?
The paycheck is taxed in Pennsylvania. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between New York and Reading changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.