

McAllen vs Philadelphia
$63/mo more in Philadelphia
McAllenPhiladelphiaAbout 1,610 miles apart, a flight.
- Philadelphia leaves you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,419/mo in Philadelphia. $2,356/mo in McAllen. +$756 a year.
McAllen
$2,356
left each month
Philadelphia
$2,419
+$63 vs McAllen
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
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+$63 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | McAllen | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,208 | $8,101 | +$1,893 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,142 | $2,256 | +$1,114 |
| Take-home pay | $5,066 | $5,846 | +$779 |
| Rent | $863 | $1,530 | +$667 |
| Getting around | $532 | $418 | −$114 |
| Groceries | $363 | $408 | +$45 |
| Healthcare | $408 | $459 | +$51 |
| Utilities | $227 | $255 | +$28 |
| Everything else | $317 | $357 | +$40 |
| Left over | $2,356 | $2,419 | +$63 |
Salary to match McAllen
$96,000
Gross pay in Philadelphia that leaves the same amount as $74,500 in McAllen.
Tax difference
−$6,630
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 18.4% in McAllen, 27.8% in Philadelphia.
More about Philadelphia
McAllen, TX in full
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,027 and 237 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
Philadelphia, PA in full
East Coast density at half of Boston's rent, minus a 3.75% city wage tax.
The other way
Start in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia → McAllen →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Philadelphia than McAllen?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Philadelphia leaves about $63 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $863 in McAllen and $1,530 in Philadelphia.
Does Philadelphia have state income tax?
Philadelphia is in Pennsylvania, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 3.75%.
What changes if you move from McAllen to Philadelphia?
The paycheck is taxed in Pennsylvania. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between McAllen and Philadelphia changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.