Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0Homes in Pitcairn cost about a year of local pay, but renters are stretched more than prices suggest
More affordable than 87% of U.S. towns, #82 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Down 4.3% in a year, 68% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Pittsburgh, PA metro area ($76K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
In dollars, Pitcairn is one of the least expensive places in Pennsylvania. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Pittsburgh-area incomes are lower too ($76K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 1.89% of a home’s value a year (Pennsylvania: 1.30%), and 48% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $92Ktypical home, 68% below the Pennsylvania typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,070a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 95prices across the Pittsburgh metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 72)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 0.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$76K, Pittsburgh-area income
- 12%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 48%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Pennsylvania: 48%Census 2020–24
- 24%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Pitcairn
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Pitcairn home runs about $630 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,070. Can I afford it? ↓
Prices are 12% below their 2024 peak
The typical Pitcairn home peaked at $105K in July 2024 and is worth about $92K now. Across Pennsylvania, values are at or near their high. Over five years, Pitcairn is down 4.1%. Price trend ↓
Most Pitcairn households rent
61% of households rent their home, 859 in all, against 31% across Pennsylvania. Renting ↓
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $1,118, under the Pennsylvania median of $3,311, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 1.89% a year, against 1.30% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $150 a month. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Pitcairn’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pitcairn is more affordable than 87% of U.S. towns, #82 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have lagged Pennsylvania: the typical Pitcairn home is down 4.1% in five years, against 22.9% statewide (Zillow).
Down 4.1% in five years
Slower than Pennsylvania (22.9%).
Show as a table
| January | Pitcairn | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $52,000 | $171,000 |
| 2018 | $55,000 | $178,000 |
| 2019 | $60,000 | $185,000 |
| 2020 | $66,000 | $196,000 |
| 2021 | $81,000 | $216,000 |
| 2022 | $96,000 | $236,000 |
| 2023 | $92,000 | $253,000 |
| 2024 | $94,000 | $265,000 |
| 2025 | $102,000 | $276,000 |
| 2026 | $94,000 | $283,000 |
| September 2026 | $92,000 | $287,000 |
A typical Pitcairn home worth $50K in October 2016 is worth about $92K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 6 homes sold in May 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs about a year of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Pitcairn’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Pitcairn home, with $168K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,070 a month here, $440 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Pitcairn’s typical property tax (1.89% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,070
Renters already here pay a median of $772, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Pittsburgh, PA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
No new homes permitted in 2025
No permits for new homes were issued in Pitcairn in 2025. The last year with any was 2005 (1 new home).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Pitcairn's population fell by 193 and no new homes were permitted. Across Pennsylvania: 1.4 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $185,000 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,118, under the Pennsylvania median of $3,311, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.89% a year, against 1.30% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Pitcairn
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Pittsburgh, PA metro area, or Pennsylvania. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 95 | PA 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 101 | PA 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 108 | PA 109 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 98 | PA 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Pitcairn and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcairn | A | $92K | $59K | 1.89% | $1,070 |
Questions about the cost of living in Pitcairn
Is Pitcairn expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Pitcairn costs less than 87% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #82 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The typical home costs 0.8 years of the median household income of the Pittsburgh, PA metro area ($76K).
How much does a house cost in Pitcairn?
About $92K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 4.2% in a year. The Pennsylvania typical home is $287K.
What salary do you need to live in Pitcairn?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $27,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $630 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $43,000.
How much is rent in Pitcairn?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,070 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $772 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Pitcairn?
The median bill is $1,118 a year, 1.89% of the median home value (Pennsylvania: $3,311, 1.30%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Pitcairn going up?
No: down 4.2% in the past year and -4.1% in five years, against 22.9% across Pennsylvania (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Pitcairn buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.