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

Advantages of Living in Pittsburgh

1. Living costs in Pittsburgh are rather low
2. Rents are still affordable for the general public
3. Many people are still able to live the American dream in Pittsburgh
4. Overall financial pressure is rather low
5. Decent public infrastructure in Pittsburgh
6. Good doctors and hospitals in Pittsburgh
7. Many good bars and clubs in Pittsburgh
8. Many leisure activities to choose from
9. You can spend lots of time in nature
10. Decent supply of material goods in Pittsburgh
11. Pittsburgh is one of the biggest cities in Pennsylvania
12. You can meet people from many different cultures
13. You can try many interesting foods in Pittsburgh
14. Many recreational spaces to relax in Pittsburgh
15. Pittsburgh has an international airport
16. You can experience real seasons in Pittsburgh
17. Many decent sports teams in Pittsburgh
18. Traffic jams are rather rare in Pittsburgh
19. Pittsburgh is a bike-friendly city
20. 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

1. Crime rates in Pittsburgh are high
2. Unemployment is a problem in Pittsburgh
3. Cold winters may become annoying
4. You may not spend lots of time outdoors
5. Pittsburgh is not the most exciting city
6. Pittsburgh is not the most popular city among tourists
7. You may have to justify moving to Pittsburgh
8. Hard to find really good education in Pittsburgh
9. Many people in Pittsburgh live below the poverty line
10. Air quality in Pittsburgh is rather poor
11. 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

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://pittsburghpa.gov/

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.