Cost of living in Philadelphia, PA
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (6,330,422 people) ranks #38 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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See all 149 cities
Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Philadelphia with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Philadelphia to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from New York, NY, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Philadelphia: $87,200
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $87,200 in Philadelphia, PA to match $100,000 in New York, NY ($12,800 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses New York and Pennsylvania state income tax; includes New York City resident tax $3,441 and Philadelphia resident tax $3,735 (inside city limits).
What things cost in Philadelphia
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Philadelphia
On a $90,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $65,958 after 2026 federal tax ($10,970), Social Security and Medicare ($6,885) and Pennsylvania income tax ($2,763), plus $63 in state payroll programs, and $3,362 in Philadelphia resident income tax.
Philadelphia residents pay a 3.735% wage tax on all earnings (from July 1, 2026; 3.74% before). If you live outside Philadelphia but work in the city, you pay the 3.425% nonresident wage tax on those wages instead of your home town's tax. Most Pennsylvania suburbs charge their own earned income tax, usually 1%; the New Jersey suburbs have no local income tax.
Housing
| Measure | Philadelphia area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,567/mo |
| Median home value | $375,100 |
| Median property tax | $5,016/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,498 |
| Median household income | $90,850 |
Climate and jobs in Philadelphia
In the Philadelphia area the average January low is 26°F and the average July high 88°F, and the area has about 30 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.5% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $54,310 a year, 7% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 26°F |
| July high | 88°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 30 a year |
| Precipitation | 44 in a year |
| Snowfall | 23 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.5% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $54,310 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 2.9 million | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Philadelphia International Airport station (USW00013739). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Philadelphia
A single retiree spends about $3,370 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,211 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Philadelphia
- Philadelphia to New York
- Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
- Philadelphia to Allentown
- Philadelphia to Baltimore
- Philadelphia to Miami
- Philadelphia to Trenton
- Philadelphia to Boston
- Philadelphia to Los Angeles
- New York to Philadelphia
- Trenton to Philadelphia
- Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia
- Allentown to Philadelphia
- Baltimore to Philadelphia
- Miami to Philadelphia
- Boston to Philadelphia
- Los Angeles to Philadelphia
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Philadelphia area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 94.5 of 100), with expected losses of about $339 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Pennsylvania.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Philadelphia?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $85,600 in Philadelphia. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $62,680, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $107,073.
Is Philadelphia expensive?
The Philadelphia metro area's price level is 102.6 (U.S. = 100), #38 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 113.1, 13% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Philadelphia?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Philadelphia had a net loss of about 2,202 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Philadelphia?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Philadelphia area (Philadelphia International Airport weather station), the average January low is 26°F and the average July high 88°F. The area has about 30 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 44 inches of precipitation a year and about 23 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Philadelphia?
The Philadelphia metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.5% in 2025, above the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $54,310 a year in May 2025, 7% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Philadelphia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 94.5). The highest relative risks are winter weather, heat wave, strong wind.
Compare Philadelphia with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Moving from Pennsylvania