City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Asheville | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,250/mo | $1,250/mo | ≈ equal |
| Median home value | $376,800 | $215,500 | 74.8% higher in A |
| Median household income | $63,810 | $57,537 | 10.9% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 100.7 | 98.9 | 1.8% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 98.0 | 91.5 | 7.2% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 85.7 | 88.3 | 3.0% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 100.9 | 98.8 | 2.1% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Asheville, you'd need $99,450 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 0.6% cheaper overall than Asheville, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Asheville, you'd need about $79,560 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.