City profile
Philadelphia, PA cost of living
PA · BEA RPP 102.554
2024 overall RPP
102.554
US = 100
2024 housing-rent RPP
113.141
Housing component
2024 goods RPP
96.833
Goods component
2-BR FMR (HUD)
$1,860/mo
FY2027 FMR
Where Philadelphia, PA sits in the verified metro set
RPP rank
#24 of 67
+2.6 vs U.S. average
Vs median metro
+3.1
median RPP 99.5
2-BR rent rank
#24 of 67
+171/mo vs median verified metro
RPP ranks use only verified ReloMath metro records. Sources: BEA MARPP 2024 (all items, housing, goods, other services); HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent; reviewed 2026-10-04. These are historical area benchmarks, not current neighborhood prices. HUD FMR is a 40th-percentile gross-rent benchmark, not median rent. BEA metro and HUD rent-area boundaries can differ. BEA: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD (Metropolitan Statistical Area) (code 37980). HUD: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA (code METRO37980M37980); counties or county equivalents: Bucks County, Burlington County, Camden County, Cecil County, Chester County, Delaware County, Gloucester County, Montgomery County, New Castle County, Philadelphia County, Salem County. The official files were retrieved 2026-10-04.
Who’s moving in and out of Philadelphia, PA
IRS tax-return migration · 2022-2023Cost of living is only half the relocation question. The other half is which way people are actually voting with their feet, straight from IRS tax-return migration for the Philadelphia, PA metro.
Moved in
79,601
people · 52,349 households
Moved out
86,001
people · 56,523 households
Net
−6,400
net loss of residents
Net migration rank
#52 of 65
among IRS-covered ReloMath metros
Vs median net flow
-6,771
median +371 people
Largest flow share
6% in / 4% out
top named county shares
Where new residents came from
- Mercer County, NJ 4,668
- Kings County, NY 4,396
- Middlesex County, NJ 3,030
- Berks County, PA 2,685
- Atlantic County, NJ 2,484
Where residents moved to
- Berks County, PA 3,647
- Lancaster County, PA 2,914
- New York County, NY 2,780
- Atlantic County, NJ 2,759
- Mercer County, NJ 2,604
Counts are IRS tax filers (returns ≈ households, individuals ≈ exemptions) who changed address between 2022-2023. Flows too small for IRS to disclose are grouped and excluded from the named lists. Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration data ↗, mapped to metros via the U.S. Census CBSA delineation.
What salary do you need in Philadelphia, PA?
Historical BEA 2024 salary illustration relative to the U.S. average (RPP 100), before tax and household adjustments. Housing is already included in overall RPP.
| In US-average city | You need in Philadelphia, PA | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,277 | $50,000 x (102.554/100) |
| $75,000 | $76,916 | $75,000 x (102.554/100) |
| $100,000 | $102,554 | $100,000 x (102.554/100) |
| $125,000 | $128,193 | $125,000 x (102.554/100) |
| $150,000 | $153,831 | $150,000 x (102.554/100) |
| $200,000 | $205,108 | $200,000 x (102.554/100) |
Salary illustrations use BEA 2024 overall Regional Price Parities (RPP) only, before tax and household-specific adjustments. Overall RPP already includes housing. HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a separate historical gross-rent benchmark, not a current lease or median rent. Do not add rent to the RPP salary figure. Your lease and moving quote belong in a separate budget. Not financial advice.
Step 2: what will the move itself cost?
The historical salary illustration is separate from moving payments. Use an actual mover quote and lease terms in your budget summary.
State income tax note
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Obtain take-home estimates for your actual work and home addresses.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cost of living in Philadelphia, PA?
- In the historical BEA 2024 benchmark, Philadelphia, PA has an overall Regional Price Parity of 102.554 (US average = 100). Its overall price level is 2.6% higher than the national average for that year.
- What salary do I need to live in Philadelphia, PA?
- If you earn $100,000 in a US-average city (RPP 100), the BEA 2024 RPP illustration is approximately $102,554 in Philadelphia, PA, before tax and household adjustments.
- What historical rent benchmark is shown for Philadelphia, PA?
- The historical HUD Fair Market Rent benchmark for a 2-bedroom associated with Philadelphia, PA is $1,860 per month as of FY2027.
- Are people moving to or away from Philadelphia, PA?
- Based on IRS tax-return migration data for 2022-2023, about 79,601 people moved into the Philadelphia, PA metro and 86,001 moved out — a net loss of roughly 6,400 residents. The largest single source of new residents was Mercer County, NJ.
Curated nearby & similar cities
Similar verified metros by RPP
These links are chosen by data proximity: closest overall RPP to Philadelphia, PA, with HUD 2-BR rent as a tie-breaker.
Curated cost-of-living comparisons for Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side cost of living and the equivalent salary you'd need — pick a destination.
Check published data changes
Review dated source notices for tracked metros alongside Philadelphia, PA's historical benchmarks. Change-log entries do not automatically refresh the BEA 2024 or HUD FY2027 values shown here.
View cost-of-living change log