Philadelphia vs State College leftover
Moving to State College costs you $835 a month
$1,599/mo leftover in State College vs $2,434 in Philadelphia after tax and rent ($835 less). −$10,020 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Philadelphia leftover
$2,434
a month after tax and rent
State College leftover
$1,599
−$835 vs Philadelphia
Compare Philadelphia to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Philadelphia.
Monthly gap
Philadelphia → State College
$835
less / month in Philadelphia
$1,599 in State College · $2,434 in Philadelphia · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 214 households moved Philadelphia → State College (avg AGI $54,201). 265 went the other way. The whole move →
−$835 / mo
| Per month | Philadelphia | State College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,125 | $6,273 | −$1,852 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,264 | $1,417 | −$848 |
| Take-home pay | $5,861 | $4,857 | −$1,004 |
| Rent | $1,530 | $1,342 | −$188 |
| Getting around | $418 | $461 | +$43 |
| Groceries | $408 | $401 | −$7 |
| Healthcare | $459 | $451 | −$8 |
| Utilities | $255 | $251 | −$4 |
| Everything else | $357 | $351 | −$6 |
| Left over | $2,434 | $1,599 | −$835 |
To break even in State College, you'd need to earn
$90,500
Household gross, versus $97,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Philadelphia does now.
The tax difference alone
+$3,586
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 27.9% in Philadelphia, 22.6% in State College.
More about State College
Philadelphia, PA in full
East Coast density at half of Boston's rent, minus a 3.75% city wage tax.
State College, PA in full
A flat 3.07% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,598 and 181 sunny days; commutes average 20 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from State College on State College wages.
State College → Philadelphia →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in State College than Philadelphia?
A one-bedroom is about $1,530 in Philadelphia versus $1,342 in State College. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $835 a month lower in State College. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does State College have state income tax?
State College is in Pennsylvania, which taxes wage income, plus a local wage tax of 1.00%.
What changes if you move from Philadelphia to State College?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Pennsylvania tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Philadelphia and State College moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.