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 | Bethesda | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,312/mo | $1,250/mo | 85.0% higher in A |
| Median home value | $1,088,000 | $215,500 | 404.9% higher in A |
| Median household income | $185,546 | $57,537 | 222.5% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 103.0 | 97.5 | 5.7% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 103.1 | 107.5 | 4.1% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 101.8 | 98.6 | 3.2% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 100.1 | 101.8 | 1.7% 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 Bethesda, you'd need $81,912 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 18.1% cheaper overall than Bethesda, MD, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 32% lower in Philadelphia than in Bethesda. If you earn $80,000 in Bethesda, you'd need about $65,530 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.