Chester County · Pennsylvania · Northeast · 21k residents
West Chester, PA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for West Chester: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the Pennsylvania median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in West Chester is $490,700, 131% above the Pennsylvania median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,804/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 112 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $78,385 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in West Chester is $490,700, 130.6% above the median for ACS-covered places in Pennsylvania.
- Household income: Median household income is $78,385, 17.5% above the median for ACS-covered places in Pennsylvania.
- Adult education: 59.1% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 127.3% above the median for ACS-covered places in Pennsylvania.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 6.3 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A researched local story is not published for this city yet. The signals below are the verified profile context.
- Scale: A smaller city in the profile data, with fewer than 50,000 residents.
- Setting: The profile places West Chester about 75 miles from the nearest tracked mountain.
- Climate signal: The profile records 180 sunny days and 31 inches of annual snow.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 30 and an average commute of 27 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare West Chester side by side
Cost of living index
112
ACS median home value
$490,700
2-bedroom rent
$1,804/mo
Median household income
$78,385
Housing momentum
How fast West Chester's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
74/100
Heating
Ranks West Chester's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by West Chester's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $490,700 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $175 |
| Property tax rate | 1.5% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,629/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,804/mo |
| State & local income tax | 4.57% |
| Sales tax | 6.34% |
| Cost of living index | 112 |
| Groceries index | 100 |
| Utilities | $180/mo |
| Transit pass | $96/mo |
| Gas price | $3.45/gal |
| Healthcare index | 100 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,150/mo |
| Median household income | $78,385 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% |
| Population | 21k |
| Crime index | 40/100 |
| School rating | 6.3/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 92/100 |
| Avg. commute | 27 min |
| Sunny days / year | 180 days |
| July high | 86°F |
| January low | 20°F |
| Annual snowfall | 31 in |
| Home price YoY | +2.7% |
| Home price MoM | +0.4% |
| Rent YoY | +4.6% |
| Rent MoM | +0.3% |
| Ocean coast | 76 mi |
| Big lake | 154 mi |
| Mountains | 75 mi |
| Major airport | 20 mi |
| Ski resort | 75 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Phoenixville, PA · 19k
- King of Prussia, PA · 26k
- Chester, PA · 34k
- Drexel Hill, PA · 30k
- Norristown, PA · 36k
Similar size
- Murrysville, PA · 21k
- Baldwin, PA · 21k
- New Castle, PA · 22k
- Carlisle, PA · 22k
- Allison Park, PA · 22k
Real listings in West Chester
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in West Chester, PA?
- West Chester indexes at 112 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,804/mo and a acs median home value of $490,700.
- How much does a house cost in West Chester?
- The acs median home value in West Chester is $490,700, 131% above the Pennsylvania median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in West Chester?
- A two-bedroom in West Chester rents for about $1,804/mo.