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 | Chapel Hill | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,419/mo | $1,250/mo | 13.5% higher in A |
| Median home value | $537,100 | $215,500 | 149.2% higher in A |
| Median household income | $85,940 | $57,537 | 49.4% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 97.5 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 91.0 | 107.5 | 15.4% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 98.9 | 98.6 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 97.2 | 101.8 | 4.5% 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 Chapel Hill, you'd need $104,477 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chapel Hill, NC is about 4.3% cheaper overall than Philadelphia, PA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 5% lower in Chapel Hill than in Philadelphia. If you earn $80,000 in Chapel Hill, you'd need about $83,582 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.