Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Pittsburgh
You think about moving to Pittsburgh but want to get additional information about the city before making your final decision in this regard?
Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of living in Pittsburgh in the following chapters.
Living in Pittsburgh – Overview
Climate | Pittsburgh has a continental climate with hot summers and pretty cold winters. |
Housing | While demand for housing in Pittsburgh is pretty high, property prices and rents are still far lower than in NYC or other major metropolitan regions. |
Income | Median household income in Pittsburgh is slightly below national average. |
Crime | Crime rate in Pittsburgh is above national average. |
Education | Decent schools in Pittsburgh, although it is hard to find really good education in this region. |
Job Market | Pittsburgh’s unemployment rate is above national average and many people really struggle to find decent jobs and to keep them in the long run. |
Culture | Pittsburgh is a multicultural city where you can meet many interesting people from different parts of the US and even the world. |
Leisure Activities | You can go fishing, hunting, swimming, camping and do many other nature activities in the Pittsburgh region. |
Landscape | Pittsburgh is surrounded by lakes, rivers and forests. |
Infrastructure | Pittsburgh has a decent public transport system and also good medical infrastructure. |
Level of Tolerance | Pittsburgh is one of the most tolerant cities in Pennsylvania. |
Nightlife | Many decent bars and clubs in Pittsburgh even though nightlife is still not as great as in L.A. or other major metropolitan regions. |
Total Population | 301,977 inhabitants. |

Advantages of Living in Pittsburgh
- Living costs in Pittsburgh are rather low
- Rents are still affordable for the general public
- Many people are still able to live the American dream in Pittsburgh
- Overall financial pressure is rather low
- Decent public infrastructure in Pittsburgh
- Good doctors and hospitals in Pittsburgh
- Many good bars and clubs in Pittsburgh
- Many leisure activities to choose from
- You can spend lots of time in nature
- Decent supply of material goods in Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh is one of the biggest cities in Pennsylvania
- You can meet people from many different cultures
- You can try many interesting foods in Pittsburgh
- Many recreational spaces to relax in Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh has an international airport
- You can experience real seasons in Pittsburgh
- Many decent sports teams in Pittsburgh
- Traffic jams are rather rare in Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh is a bike-friendly city
- Easy to get from one end to the other
Living costs in Pittsburgh are rather low
One advantage of living in Pittsburgh is that living costs are rather low in this region compared to L.A. or other major cities in the US and this means that you will have to spend less money on drinks or other things of daily life and have a higher fraction of your disposable income left to spend on retirement.
Rents are still affordable for the general public
Not only living costs are fairly low, but also rents are still affordable for the average person while many people moving to San José or other more expensive regions really struggle in this regard.
Many people are still able to live the American dream in Pittsburgh
Since living and housing costs are still relatively affordable in Pittsburgh, many people are still able to afford the classic American dream, including owning a nice home, a decent car and so on.
Overall financial pressure is rather low
Thanks to rather low costs in the Pittsburgh region, overall financial pressure for people living in Pittsburgh is far lower compared to people living in NYC or other much more expensive regions and this enables you to live a much more relaxed life in general since you will not have to worry about money problems often.
Decent public infrastructure in Pittsburgh
Another upside to living in Pittsburgh is that you will find good overall public infrastructure and decent public transport and if you live close enough to the city center where distances are rather short, you may not even need a car to get around in an efficient manner.
Good doctors and hospitals in Pittsburgh
You will also find pretty good doctors and hospitals in the Pittsburgh region and in case you get sick, you can be pretty sure that you will find a specialist who is able to cure your health condition in the best possible manner so you can recover as quickly as possible.
Many good bars and clubs in Pittsburgh
Even though you should not expect the same great nightlife as in NYC or L.A., you will still find many decent bars and even some clubs where you can party until the early morning in the Pittsburgh region.
Many leisure activities to choose from
Another benefit of living in Pittsburgh is that you will have more than enough things to do with your leisure. In fact, there will be new things to try on a regular basis and chances are that you will never get bored in this regard.
You can spend lots of time in nature
Since Pittsburgh is surrounded by nice lakes, rivers and forests, you can go fishing, camping, swimming, hunting, hiking and do many other things in nature and you can have a really great time with your family in this region.
Decent supply of material goods in Pittsburgh
Another advantage of moving to Pittsburgh is that you will find most things you need within walking distance to your home and overall supply of material goods is pretty decent so you will never run out of options in this regard and will find everything you need to live a happy and convenient life.
Pittsburgh is one of the biggest cities in Pennsylvania
Since Pittsburgh is one of the biggest cities in Pennsylvania, it is also a pretty important economic region and the state will likely do everything it can to make it an attractive place to work and live for many decades and overall public infrastructure will most likely continue to be good in the future.
You can meet people from many different cultures
Since Pittsburgh is a tolerant place, you can meet many people from all over the world and can also experience many different cultures so that you can really learn a lot about life and can also really grow in character in the long run.
You can try many interesting foods in Pittsburgh
Thanks to many different cultural influences, you can also try many delicious and interesting foods in Pittsburgh which may not only improve your overall quality of life but may also give you many new ideas when it comes to cooking at home and you can therefore really expand your culinary horizon.
Many recreational spaces to relax in Pittsburgh
Another upside to moving to Pittsburgh is that you will find more than enough green spaces in and around the city and can just sit down in a nice park during lunch break or after work to reload your batteries so that you can stay relaxed and vital in the long run.
Pittsburgh has an international airport
Since Pittsburgh has an international airport, you can also get to various parts of our planet in a pretty efficient manner without having to lose lots of time on layovers or other unpleasant issues that often happen in smaller airports.
You can experience real seasons in Pittsburgh
Since Pittsburgh has a continental climate with warm summers and pretty cold winters, you can also experience real seasons in this region and may be able to go skiing or to do other winter sports while people living in Austin or other warmer places don’t have this luxury.
Many decent sports teams in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh can also be an interesting place to live for sports fans since you can watch the games of the Pittsburgh Penguins or other renowned sports teams and will never run out of ideas in this regard.
Traffic jams are rather rare in Pittsburgh
Since Pittsburgh is not the most crowded city, you will also rarely get stuck in traffic jams and can get around by car in a pretty efficient manner and will also have a rather easy time finding a parking lot.
Pittsburgh is a bike-friendly city
Another benefit of moving to Pittsburgh is that the city is pretty bike-friendly and you will therefore be able to get around by bicycle in a pretty efficient manner and may not need a car which would be great for our environment and also for your finances in the long run since you could save lots of money on gas.
Easy to get from one end to the other
Since distances are rather short and traffic is not a big problem in Pittsburgh yet, it is also pretty easy to get around in the city in general and you can also visit your friends in different parts of the city without losing lots of time in traffic.
Now that you know all the reasons for moving to Pittsburgh, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of moving to Pittsburgh so that you get a more realistic picture of reality and can better decide whether you still want to move to Pittsburgh or rather want to live in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Pittsburgh
- Crime rates in Pittsburgh are high
- Unemployment is a problem in Pittsburgh
- Cold winters may become annoying
- You may not spend lots of time outdoors
- Pittsburgh is not the most exciting city
- Pittsburgh is not the most popular city among tourists
- You may have to justify moving to Pittsburgh
- Hard to find really good education in Pittsburgh
- Many people in Pittsburgh live below the poverty line
- Air quality in Pittsburgh is rather poor
- You may have to rely on bottled water
Crime rates in Pittsburgh are high
One problem with living in Pittsburgh is that crime rates are pretty high in this region and many people no longer feel safe.
Thus, if you have kids and want to see them grow up in the best environment possible., you may rather want to move to a safer place instead.
Unemployment is a problem in Pittsburgh
You should also know that unemployment rate in Pittsburgh is above national average and in case you lose your job, it may take you quite a long time to find a new job again and you may run into serious financial problems due to that.
Cold winters may become annoying
Another downside to moving to Pittsburgh is that you will also have to deal with pretty cold winters and while some people like the cold, others just rather want to live in a warm environment and if you belong to the second group of people, you may be better off moving to Dallas or other warmer regions instead.
You may not spend lots of time outdoors
Since winters in Pittsburgh are pretty cold, your incentive to leave your home in winter may be rather low and you may therefore lose your fitness and may gain weight in the long run compared to people who will spend more time outdoors and may therefore be able to burn more calories.
Pittsburgh is not the most exciting city
You should also know that while you will find everything you need to live a comfortable life, Pittsburgh is still not the most exciting city and you may get bored with this lifestyle sooner or later.
Pittsburgh is not the most popular city among tourists
Since Pittsburgh is also not the most popular city among tourists, you will also have a harder time making new friends with people from exotic countries compared to people living in Los Angeles or other metropolitan regions where tourism is a much bigger thing.
You may have to justify moving to Pittsburgh
Your friends may also not understand your decision of moving to Pittsburgh and you may have to explain and justify quite a lot in this regard which can be pretty annoying in the long run.
Hard to find really good education in Pittsburgh
While you will find many solid schools and colleges, you will still not have the same excellent education compared to people moving to Boston or other more prestigious regions.
Many people in Pittsburgh live below the poverty line
Another disadvantage of moving to Pittsburgh is that many people in this region live below the poverty line and this may lead to all sorts of social conflicts and is also not a nice picture at all.
Air quality in Pittsburgh is rather poor
You should also know that air quality in Pittsburgh is rather low and this may not only lower your overall quality of life but may also increase your risk of suffering from serious pulmonary problems sooner or later.
You may have to rely on bottled water
Since Pittsburgh’s tap water often doesn’t taste really good, you may also have to rely on bottled water from the store which would cost you lots of time and money in the long run and may also be pretty bad for our environment.

Top 10 Moving To Pittsburgh Pros & Cons – Summary List
Living in Pittsburgh Pros | Living in Pittsburgh Cons |
---|---|
Living costs in Pittsburgh are rather low | Unemployment is a problem in Pittsburgh |
The average person can still afford a decent home | Pretty high crime rates in Pittsburgh |
Many people can still live the American dream | Cold winters may be annoying |
Easy to get around by car in Pittsburgh | Not many great shopping opportunities in Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh has decent public transport | Pittsburgh is not the most exciting city |
Pittsburgh is a bicycle-friendly place | Hard to find really good education in Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh is a tolerant city | Pittsburgh doesn’t have a great art scene |
Decent medical infrastructure in Pittsburgh | Many people live below the poverty line |
Decent supply of material goods | Social inequality is about to increase in Pittsburgh |
Many nice bars and clubs in Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh doesn’t have the best reputation |
Is Pittsburgh A Good Place To Live?
While living and housing costs are still fairly low, also median income levels are not great and many people in Pittsburgh live below the poverty line, which may lead to all sorts of social problems and may also contribute to even higher crime rates in the long run.
Alternative Cities To Live In
If you don’t want to move to Pittsburgh anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Orlando
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Riverside
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Saint Paul
Sources
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/pittsburghcitypennsylvania
Own research.

About the author
This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.
My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.
Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.
In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.