Buying a home in Moon Township: what to know before you buy
Moon is where Pittsburgh meets the airport. Pittsburgh International sits mostly inside the township, I-376 runs straight into downtown, and Robert Morris University and a cluster of corporate headquarters keep it busy. Moon Area School District covers Moon and Crescent townships, and both charge the standard 2% transfer tax. What sets the payment here is the property tax, which sits in the middle of the range for the areas my Pittsburgh clients buy in most.
Who buys in Moon
People who travel for work, and people who work right here. FedEx Ground has its headquarters in the township, Robert Morris has nearly 5,000 students, and two military air wings fly out of the airport. The Montour Trail starts in Moon and runs 63 miles through the western suburbs, so you can be on it in minutes.
Serving at the base, or starting a new job?
If you’re with the 911th Airlift Wing or the 171st Air Refueling Wing, a VA loan can mean nothing down and no monthly mortgage insurance, and I check how your drill or full-time pay counts before you shop. If you’re moving here for a new job, some programs let you close on a signed offer letter: buying a home before your new job starts.
The numbers on $500,000
| Mills | Per year | |
|---|---|---|
| Allegheny County | 6.43 | $1,585 |
| Moon Township | 4.28 | $1,055 |
| Moon Area School District (2026-27) | 26.0415 | $6,419 |
| Total | 36.7515 | $9,059 · $755/mo |
Assessment of $246,500, the price times 49.3%. The county homestead exclusion takes about $116 a year off. Transfer tax is 2% in Moon and Crescent, so your half is $5,000.
Where Moon sits
At the same price, Moon runs about $175 a month more than North Allegheny and about $95 a month less than South Fayette. Moon Area’s school rate rose 3% this year, from 25.2831 to 26.0415 mills, so build a small annual increase into the budget.
Allegheny County assesses on 2012 values and does not reassess when a house sells. An assessment can be appealed after a sale, and the level an appeal points toward is the price times the common level ratio, 49.3% for tax year 2027. Compare the current assessment to that number.
Assessment below it: plan your payment on the higher figure. Assessment above it: the house may be over-assessed, and an appeal could lower your bill. The annual appeal window runs July 1 to September 1 for the following tax year.
Run the tax and escrow on a specific house with my escrow and prorations calculator.
The same $500,000 house in each area
Property tax counts in your debt-to-income ratio and your escrow, so it changes the price you qualify for as well as what you pay each month. These are the areas my Pittsburgh clients buy in most.
| Area | Tax per month | Your transfer tax |
|---|---|---|
| Cranberry (Seneca Valley) | $481 | $5,000 |
| Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Highland Park | $561 | $12,500 |
| McCandless (North Allegheny) | $577 | $6,250 |
| Marshall (North Allegheny) | $581 | $5,000 |
| Murrysville (Franklin Regional) | $582 | $6,250 |
| Moon | $755 | $5,000 |
| Monroeville (Gateway) | $764 | $6,250 |
| South Fayette | $850 | $5,000 |
Assessment at the price times each county’s common level ratio, before any homestead exclusion. Planning figures, not bills: an older, lower assessment that is never appealed produces a smaller bill.
Other Pittsburgh areas: Squirrel Hill and Shadyside · North Allegheny · South Fayette · Cranberry Township · Monroeville, Murrysville, Plum and Oakmont · All of Pittsburgh
Figures use 2026 county, municipal and school millage and the common level ratios published for July 2026 to June 2027. They are planning estimates, not tax bills. Assessment appeals are decided by the county board and no outcome is promised. Transfer tax is split between buyer and seller by custom; the split is negotiable and set by your contract.
Let’s talk about your Moon Township purchase
Send me the house you are looking at, or the address you are thinking about. I’ll come back with the real tax, the real transfer tax and real wholesale pricing. No teaser rates, no pressure, no credit pull until you say so.
Prefer to talk? Call or text me directly at (412) 302-1919.