Pittsburgh vs Southfield
The short version
- Pittsburgh is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Southfield area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $205,800 in Pittsburgh and $236,200 in Southfield.
- Pittsburgh has the warmer winter: January highs of 36°F vs 32°F.
- Pittsburgh is growing faster: +1.5% since 2020 vs -0.6%.
Side by side
| Pittsburgh, PA | Southfield, MI | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 307,632 | 76,111 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.5% | -0.6% |
| People per square mile | 5,556 | 2,898 |
| Median age | 33.6 | 42.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 49% | 41% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $65,742 | $68,166 |
| Median home value | $205,800 | $236,200 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 3.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,261 | $1,340 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 94.7 | 100.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 72.0 | 94.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $71,000 | $75,200 |
| Homeowners | 48% | 53% |
| Top state income tax | 3.07% | 4.25% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.7 | 23.7 |
| Work from home | 22% | 17% |
| Take public transit | 12% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.1% | 6.9% |
| Poverty rate | 20.1% | 10.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 36° / 21° | 32° / 19° |
| July high / low | 83° / 63° | 84° / 64° |
| Precipitation per year | 40 in | 34 in |
| Snowfall per year | 44 in | 45 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 10 | 13 |
| Nights below freezing | 114 | 120 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.1 | 97.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 43% | 36% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.4% | +4.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +36.7% | +39.6% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Pittsburgh: May to October. Southfield: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Pittsburgh weather by month and Southfield weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $71,000 in Pittsburgh and $75,200 in Southfield. Moving from Pittsburgh to Southfield, you would need about $79,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Pittsburgh and Southfield
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Pittsburgh and Southfield.
Which would you pick?
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