City comparison
Philadelphia, PA is about 950 miles (1,500 km) from Tampa, FL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 miles, or about 19 hours 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 Philadelphia, PA to Tampa, FL takes about 1 h 52 min, covering roughly 950 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 388,768 in Tampa — about 4.1× larger by population. By land area, Philadelphia covers about 135 sq mi vs 115 sq mi for Tampa.
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 | Philadelphia | Tampa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,250/mo | $1,422/mo | 13.8% higher in Tampa |
| Median home value | $215,500 | $333,200 | 54.6% higher in Tampa |
| Median household income | $57,537 | $66,802 | 16.1% higher in Tampa |
| Groceries index | 97.0 | 95.8 | 1.3% higher in Philadelphia |
| Utilities index | 112.3 | 89.1 | 26.1% higher in Philadelphia |
| Transportation index | 101.7 | 97.8 | 4.0% higher in Philadelphia |
| Healthcare index | 102.7 | 97.3 | 5.5% higher in Philadelphia |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Philadelphia, you'd need $101,619 in Tampa to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Philadelphia, PA is about 1.6% cheaper overall than Tampa, FL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 11% higher in Tampa than in Philadelphia. If you earn $80,000 in Philadelphia, you'd need about $81,295 in Tampa to keep the same standard of living.