

New York vs Philadelphia
$1,189/mo more in Philadelphia
New YorkPhiladelphiaAbout 98 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- Philadelphia leaves you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,431/mo in Philadelphia. $1,242/mo in New York. +$14,268 a year.
New York
$1,242
left each month
Philadelphia
$2,431
+$1,189 vs New York
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 17,010 households moved New York → Philadelphia (avg AGI $89,284). 10,894 went the other way. The whole move →
+$1,189 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | New York | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,292 | $8,120 | −$1,171 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,886 | $2,263 | −$624 |
| Take-home pay | $6,405 | $5,858 | −$547 |
| Rent | $3,018 | $1,530 | −$1,488 |
| Getting around | $347 | $418 | +$71 |
| Groceries | $496 | $408 | −$88 |
| Healthcare | $558 | $459 | −$99 |
| Utilities | $310 | $255 | −$55 |
| Everything else | $434 | $357 | −$77 |
| Left over | $1,242 | $2,431 | +$1,189 |
Salary to match New York
$75,000
Gross pay in Philadelphia that leaves the same amount as $111,500 in New York.
Tax difference
+$3,318
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 31.1% in New York, 27.9% in Philadelphia.
More about Philadelphia
New York, NY in full
The one place where skipping a car genuinely offsets the rent.
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 → New York →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Philadelphia than New York?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Philadelphia leaves about $1,189 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $3,018 in New York 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 New York 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 New York 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.