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 | Chicago | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,250/mo | 5.1% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $215,500 | 41.3% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $57,537 | 24.6% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 98.9 | 1.7% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 92.4 | 91.5 | 1.0% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 98.6 | 88.3 | 11.7% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.4 | 98.8 | 1.4% 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 Chicago, you'd need $95,127 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 4.9% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 5% lower in Philadelphia than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $76,102 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.