Cost of Living in Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre's cost of living runs genuinely low overall, anchored by substantially affordable housing -- among the most affordable in the broader Scranton-Wilkes-Barre metro -- even as its combined local income tax and property tax both run above typical Pennsylvania levels.
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Learn moreGenuinely affordable housing
Wilkes-Barre home-price figures ran $140,363 (typical value, +6.6% YoY) to $205,000 (August 2026 median list price) across sources -- both well below the national median, and among the most affordable in the metro per one source.
A real, elevated combined local income tax
Wilkes-Barre's cited combined resident city income tax runs approximately 3.00% -- genuinely higher than the Act 511 1% default several other Pennsylvania municipalities, including this project's companion bethlehem.js, still observe.
An above-county-average property tax rate
Wilkes-Barre's own effective property tax rate ran approximately 1.98% -- 37% above the Luzerne County average of 1.45%.
Key takeaways
- Wilkes-Barre's housing runs genuinely affordable, among the most affordable in the broader metro.
- The combined local income tax (~3.00%) runs notably higher than the Act 511 1% default.
- Property tax runs 37% above the Luzerne County average.
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