Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Cost Of Living

B

0%

Overall NAT. AVG.

0%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

14%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2023; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	National
Cost of living	100	99	100
Goods & Services	100	100	100
Groceries	117	104	100
Health care	97	101	100
Housing	86	91	100
Transportation	109	106	100
Utilities	112	106	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Philadelphia is 1% higher than the Pennsylvania average
The cost of living in Philadelphia is equal to the national average
Philadelphia housing is 14% lower than the national average
Pennsylvania general sales tax is 18% higher than the national average
Pennsylvania state income tax is 36% higher than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$62,089	$5,174	$1,449	$1,863
Renters	$36,648	$3,054	$855	$1,100

A good indicator of the general affordability of housing in Philadelphia, PA, is the percentage of monthly income that should be spent on housing expenses, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Generally speaking, no more than 28 percent of your total gross income should be spent on your housing expenses and not more than 36 percent of your gross income on total expenses, including debts. In Philadelphia, the median monthly income is $62,089 for those who own their own homes. Under the standard rule, that income level would allow for $1,449 to be budgeted for housing expenses each month, at the most. Renters, on the other hand, earn about $36,648, per the median income in the area. That would allow for renters to spend up to $855 on monthly rental expenses.

Pennsylvania Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Pennsylvania	6%	8%

Pennsylvania Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Pennsylvania	3.07%	3.07%

Goods & Services

Item	Philadelphia	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$21.66	$22.08	1.9%
Beauty Salon	$63.11	$42.88	47.2%
Toothpaste	$2.74	$2.57	6.9%
Shampoo	$1.21	$1.15	5.2%
Movie	$11.92	$11.51	3.6%
Bowling	$19.57	$16.62	17.8%

Groceries

Item	Philadelphia	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.59	$4.98	7.8%
Fried Chicken	$1.91	$1.58	20.4%
Milk	$2.57	$2.42	6.4%
Potatoes	$3.76	$3.54	6.2%
Pizza	$11.07	$11.49	3.7%
Beer	$9.18	$10.04	8.6%

Health Care

Item	Philadelphia	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$118.67	$117.76	0.8%
Doctor	$136.17	$125.34	8.6%
Dentist	$96.17	$107.52	10.6%
Ibuprofen	$10.87	$10.26	5.9%
Lipitor	$397.28	$459.24	13.5%

Housing

Item	Philadelphia	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$171,600.00	$184,700.00	7.1%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,657.99	$1,697.41	2.3%
Apartment Rent	$1,084.00	$949.00	14.2%

Transportation

Item	Philadelphia	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$4.19	$3.85	9.0%
Tire Balancing	$62.97	$57.01	10.5%

Utilities

Item	Philadelphia	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$208.88	$177.27	17.8%
Phone	$196.34	$189.62	3.5%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Tavistock, NJ	5	106	6.2%
Arcadia University, PA	595	106	6.2%
Pine Valley, NJ	11	106	6.2%
Prospect Park CDP, PA	224	84	16.2%
Audubon Park, NJ	969	89	11.3%
Philadelphia, PA	1,581,531	100	0.0%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
San Antonio, TX	1,529,133	90	10.1%
Phoenix, AZ	1,658,422	97	3.2%
San Diego, CA	1,414,545	149	48.5%
Calgary, AB	1,371,990	n/a
Montréal, QC	1,811,008	n/a
Philadelphia, PA	1,581,531	100	0.0%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2023; this is the most current data available.