Pittsburgh: the city of bridges and renters

You studied for 12 straight hours at Hillman Library, took the last final of your undergraduate career and now, as you don your black graduation gown with your diploma in hand, and mom snaps a pictures every second she can, your mind drifts to your future, your career and your next home. 

Freshman year, you had this dream of living in Florida as a marine biologist; sophomore year, it was a playwright in New York City. But now, more than ever, you realize that Pittsburgh might be the perfect place for a recent graduate like you.

Pittsburgh is one of the most affordable and accommodating places for recent graduates to live and work. The city offers the same employment opportunities as other major cities, while accommodating the part-nomadic lifestyle and entry-level employment of most recent college graduates. 

Pittsburgh was named among the most affordable cities in the country to live by Forbes in March. And, similar to the national trend in housing choices, Pittsburgh is a city of renters.

According to Forbes Magazine’s “The Best and Worst Cities for Renters,” the average monthly rent in Pittsburgh is $830, while average rent in D.C. is $1,488, and Philadelphia is $1,058.

Rental prices reflect many aspects of national and local economy. Pittsburgh’s economy boasts lower rental prices, lower annual income and lots of job openings.

Pittsburgh’s lower average income is actually beneficial for recent grads who find themselves in entry-level or lower-paying jobs — which is expected to be the case in most fields. That’s because the few years after college are usually the time to gain experience and education before a recent grad can become a CEO, primary investigator, law firm partner or head of surgery. During this time, it helps if a recent grad is in a city with an overall lower average income, because everything, from food to clothes to rent, is generally less expensive. Therefore, recent grads save more money to pursue that lucrative career or pay off nagging student debt.

Rental prices are also determined by a rental to mortgage comparison — meaning in some housing markets, it is more affordable to buy than to rent. For recent graduates looking to buy rather than rent, cities other than Pittsburgh may offer more affordable options. 

But since most recent graduates spend their first few years post-college working entry-level jobs or taking gap years before graduate or professional school, “job hopping” has become popular. Millennial generation employees tend to stay at one job for 2.2 years, whereas the national average for all age groups is double that. Whether or not “job hopping” is a result of millennial’s fleeting attention and curiosity or employment trends, it promotes a sort of nomadic lifestyle that requires one to rent living space rather than own one — perhaps that’s why many youth have flocked to Pittsburgh, the city of low rental prices. 

Are lower rental prices simply a product of the local economy, or is the quality of Pittsburgh apartments lacking? In other words, does your $830 a month rent pay for a shabby, structurally unsound Victorian home turned apartment complex in South O?

According to Jon Pastor, CEO and co-founder of Rent Jungle, a real-estate company in Pittsburgh, not only is rent cheaper in Pittsburgh but you get more for what you pay. 

“You can get a better apartment for less money in Pittsburgh than you can in Chicago or New York or San Francisco … It’s not just more square footage you get in Pittsburgh, but also you’ll get a location in a neighborhood where young professionals want to live, with lots of access to bars, restaurants and activities like movies and shopping,” Pastor said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Low rental prices are not limited to South Oakland, but can be found throughout Allegheny County, including Downtown, South Side and Shadyside.

Simply put, Pittsburgh offers a lifestyle that perfectly suits recent college graduates. As you consider your future career and home, consider taking a second look at the city that has been your home for your undergraduate years.