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 | Bellingham | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,385/mo | $1,250/mo | 10.8% higher in A |
| Median home value | $528,600 | $215,500 | 145.3% higher in A |
| Median household income | $64,026 | $57,537 | 11.3% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.7 | 97.5 | 7.5% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 107.4 | 107.5 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 101.0 | 98.6 | 2.4% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 100.9 | 101.8 | 0.9% lower 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 Bellingham, you'd need $97,256 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 2.7% cheaper overall than Bellingham, WA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 3% lower in Philadelphia than in Bellingham. If you earn $80,000 in Bellingham, you'd need about $77,805 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.