City comparison
Mount Vernon, NY is about 90 miles (150 km) from Philadelphia, PA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 h behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Mount Vernon, NY to Philadelphia, PA takes about 11 min, covering roughly 90 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Philadelphia has a population of 1,593,208, vs 72,817 in Mount Vernon — about 21.9× larger by population. By land area, Philadelphia covers about 135 sq mi vs 4.4 sq mi for Mount Vernon.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
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 | Mount Vernon | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,461/mo | $1,250/mo | 16.9% higher in Mount Vernon |
| Median home value | $446,400 | $215,500 | 107.1% higher in Mount Vernon |
| Median household income | $75,511 | $57,537 | 31.2% higher in Mount Vernon |
| Groceries index | 109.4 | 97.0 | 12.8% higher in Mount Vernon |
| Utilities index | 124.5 | 112.3 | 10.9% higher in Mount Vernon |
| Transportation index | 105.0 | 101.7 | 3.2% higher in Mount Vernon |
| Healthcare index | 105.7 | 102.7 | 3.0% higher in Mount Vernon |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Mount Vernon, you'd need $85,192 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 14.8% cheaper overall than Mount Vernon, NY, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 30% higher in Mount Vernon than in Philadelphia. If you earn $80,000 in Mount Vernon, you'd need about $68,154 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.