Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Cost Of Living

F

27%

Overall NAT. AVG.

0%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

76%

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	Swarthmore	Pennsylvania	National
Cost of living	127	99	100
Goods & Services	100	100	100
Groceries	117	104	100
Health care	97	101	100
Housing	176	91	100
Transportation	109	106	100
Utilities	112	106	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Swarthmore is 28% higher than the Pennsylvania average
The cost of living in Swarthmore is 27% higher than the national average
Swarthmore housing is 76% higher 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	$151,739	$12,645	$3,540	$4,553
Renters	$48,750	$4,063	$1,137	$1,463

The percent of monthly income spent on housing can be a good indicator of the affordability of housing in Swarthmore, PA, as well as the overall cost of living. As a general rule of thumb, the debt-to-income ratio (DTI) for homeowners or renters should be not more than 28 percent of gross income to be spent on housing related costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses, including debts. The median income for Swarthmore homeowners, is $151,739. This would allow for a maximum of $3,540 per month to be spent on housing costs. For renters, the median monthly income is $48,750 which would result in a maximum of $1,137 to be spent on rental costs.

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	Swarthmore	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	Swarthmore	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	Swarthmore	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	Swarthmore	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$437,700.00	$184,700.00	137.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,657.99	$1,697.41	2.3%
Apartment Rent	$1,165.00	$949.00	22.8%

Transportation

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

Utilities

Item	Swarthmore	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.
Cheyney University, PA	194	109	8.8%
Arcadia University, PA	595	106	6.2%
Prospect Park CDP, PA	224	84	16.2%
Audubon Park, NJ	969	89	11.3%
Chester, PA	33,855	91	8.6%
Swarthmore, PA	6,339	127	27.2%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Wilmore, KY	6,339	95	5.2%
Braidwood, IL	6,338	94	6.5%
Carrollton, VA	6,340	115	14.9%
Skowhegan, ME	6,341	95	5.0%
Peachland, BC	6,336	n/a
Swarthmore, PA	6,339	127	27.2%

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