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 | Charlotte | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,399/mo | $1,250/mo | 11.9% higher in A |
| Median home value | $312,800 | $215,500 | 45.2% higher in A |
| Median household income | $74,070 | $57,537 | 28.7% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 102.4 | 98.9 | 3.6% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 100.3 | 91.5 | 9.7% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 88.7 | 88.3 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 105.6 | 98.8 | 6.9% 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 Charlotte, you'd need $93,062 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 6.9% cheaper overall than Charlotte, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 11% lower in Philadelphia than in Charlotte. If you earn $80,000 in Charlotte, you'd need about $74,450 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.