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 | Boston | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,981/mo | $1,250/mo | 58.5% higher in A |
| Median home value | $684,900 | $215,500 | 217.8% higher in A |
| Median household income | $89,212 | $57,537 | 55.1% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.8 | 98.9 | 5.9% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 133.1 | 91.5 | 45.6% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 88.4 | 88.3 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 134.4 | 98.8 | 36.0% 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 Boston, you'd need $63,099 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 36.9% cheaper overall than Boston, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 37% lower in Philadelphia than in Boston. If you earn $80,000 in Boston, you'd need about $50,479 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.