From studios in the priciest urban areas to full houses in others, here’s how you could spend $1,300 in monthly rent in Pennsylvania.
Affordability challenges are wreaking havoc on every part of Americans’ budgets, and the cost of renting is no exception. Over the past several years, average monthly rents have steadily crept upward, and in many local markets have outpaced growth in renters’ paychecks.
In Pennsylvania, a household earning roughly $52,000 can afford a monthly rent of about $1,308, according to 2025 data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which defines affordability as spending no more than 30% of household income on housing. (Many renters in the state, however, are severely cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 50% of their incomes on housing and utilities.)
So what exactly can $1,300 a month get a renter in Pennsylvania? The answer depends largely on where you’re looking. As such, we dove into metro and non-metro housing markets across the state to find apartments, townhouses, and single-family homes within that budget. From studios in Philadelphia to full homes in Erie, here’s what $1,300 a month in rent looks like in the commonwealth.
Philadelphia
You probably won’t be surprised to learn that the most expensive housing market in Pennsylvania can be found in the city of Philadelphia. Within the city, $1,300 in rent can mostly land you a small studio apartment, though the price of utilities or parking may quickly stress that budget.
Further from Center City, options shift toward one-bedroom apartments with separate rooms, though square footage remains low, often less than 500 square feet. Anything bigger than that is a lucky find; in the Philadelphia metro area, fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment runs $1,802.
The Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley—made up of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and the rest of Lehigh and Northampton counties—is experiencing rapid growth, making the rental market and its limited supply highly competitive. One real estate investment firm told LehighValleyNews.com that each apartment listed in the area is likely to receive as many as 15 rental applications, as commuters from Philadelphia and other parts of the Northeast flock to the valley.
Most rental units on Zillow cost much more than $1,300 per month. The fair market rent for a two-bedroom rental home is $1,507, making the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton market the fourth most expensive in Pennsylvania.
Renters wanting to live in or around Allentown for $1,300 or less in rent might set their sights on one-bedroom apartments.
State College
With a large population of Penn State student renters making State College the metro area with the highest percentage of renters (38%), it is also the fifth-most expensive housing market in Pennsylvania. Here, fair market rent for a two-bedroom home in the metro area costs $1,431, but that does mean that one-bedroom apartments can often be let for less than $1,300.
To save even more on housing costs, renters can pay per room, rather than per unit, as is often the choice of students. Rent to live with roommates in, for example, a three-bedroom unit, typically costs less than $1,000.
Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh rental market is getting more expensive, but it’s still one of the most affordable urban markets in the country, not just in the commonwealth. The fair market rent for a two-bedroom rental in the area is $1,280, just shy of our $1,300 target. (Still, a basic Greater Pittsburgh Zillow search removes more than two-thirds of two-bedroom apartment listings when the monthly rent is capped at $1,300.)
Even so, two-bedroom apartments can indeed be found for less than $1,300! A 1,200-square-foot two-bedroom apartment for $1,300—one side of a duplex—is available on Zillow in Pittsburgh’s popular Squirrel Hill neighborhood … though in just five days, the listing received nearly 50 contacts, as most rentals in the neighborhood are much more expensive.
Scranton
The housing market in Scranton, complicated by commuters from more expensive parts of the Northeast, is currently experiencing a great deal of demand and limited inventory—not the best outlook for renters.
Still, fair market rent in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre metro area is $1,123 for a two-bedroom unit, as of 2025. If you can find an available unit, there’s a good chance it’ll fit our $1,300 target. Two-bedroom apartments in converted single-family homes are available throughout the area, with bigger homes also for rent farther from the city.
Erie
Like many places across the country, rental prices in Erie are increasing, though the fair market rent for a two-bedroom rental is about 23% cheaper than the statewide rate, per the NLIHC.
Armed with a monthly rent budget of $1,300, which is 16% more than the fair market rent of a two-bedroom rental house in Erie ($1,118), renters can often afford to stay in entire homes, rather than small apartments.
Still, the average hourly wage of renters in Erie is about $13, so even the area’s relatively affordable rent is out of reach for many locals.
Central Pennsylvania
Central Pennsylvania is large, encompassing a wide swath of counties, but many of them are quite affordable compared to the rest of the state. Indeed, more than a dozen counties in the central part of the state are home to fair market rents of $908 for two-bedroom rentals, according to NLIHC data. The compromises, of course, are the fewer amenities—and fewer jobs—of more rural areas. There are also fewer available rentals in the first place, as most residents own their homes.
Still, $1,300 a month in these parts of the state can land you a bigger pad than the most expensive metro areas.
