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 | Charleston | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,517/mo | $1,250/mo | 21.4% higher in A |
| Median home value | $438,900 | $215,500 | 103.7% higher in A |
| Median household income | $83,891 | $57,537 | 45.8% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 103.8 | 98.9 | 5.0% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 102.1 | 91.5 | 11.6% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 91.0 | 88.3 | 3.1% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 109.4 | 98.8 | 10.7% 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 Charleston, you'd need $88,561 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 11.4% cheaper overall than Charleston, SC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 18% lower in Philadelphia than in Charleston. If you earn $80,000 in Charleston, you'd need about $70,849 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.