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 | Kalamazoo | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $974/mo | $1,250/mo | 22.1% lower in A |
| Median home value | $152,700 | $215,500 | 29.1% lower in A |
| Median household income | $48,649 | $57,537 | 15.4% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 94.5 | 97.5 | 3.0% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 97.0 | 107.5 | 9.8% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 98.8 | 98.6 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 99.4 | 101.8 | 2.3% 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 Kalamazoo, you'd need $115,263 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Kalamazoo, MI is about 13.2% cheaper overall than Philadelphia, PA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 26% lower in Kalamazoo than in Philadelphia. If you earn $80,000 in Kalamazoo, you'd need about $92,210 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.