City comparison
Boston, MA is about 275 miles (425 km) from Philadelphia, PA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 325 miles, or about 5 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Boston, MA to Philadelphia, PA takes about 32 min, covering roughly 275 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Philadelphia has a population of 1,593,208, vs 665,945 in Boston — about 2.4× larger by population. By land area, Philadelphia covers about 135 sq mi vs 48 sq mi for Boston.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
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 | Boston | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,981/mo | $1,250/mo | 58.5% higher in Boston |
| Median home value | $684,900 | $215,500 | 217.8% higher in Boston |
| Median household income | $89,212 | $57,537 | 55.1% higher in Boston |
| Groceries index | 100.1 | 97.0 | 3.2% higher in Boston |
| Utilities index | 147.4 | 112.3 | 31.2% higher in Boston |
| Transportation index | 102.2 | 101.7 | 0.5% higher in Boston |
| Healthcare index | 106.4 | 102.7 | 3.6% higher in Boston |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Boston, you'd need $84,206 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 15.8% cheaper overall than Boston, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 33% higher in Boston than in Philadelphia. If you earn $80,000 in Boston, you'd need about $67,365 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.