Moving from Philadelphia to State College
Philadelphia to State College: $835 less leftover
$1,599/mo leftover in State College vs $2,434 in Philadelphia after tax and rent ($835 less). −$10,020 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Philadelphia leftover
$2,434
a month after tax and rent
State College leftover
$1,599
−$835 vs Philadelphia
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 214 households moved Philadelphia → State College (about 289 people, average AGI $54,201). 265 households went the other way.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Philadelphia | State College |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $5,861 | $4,857 |
| Rent | $1,530 | $1,342 |
| All other costs | $1,897 | $1,916 |
| Left over | $2,434 | $1,599 |
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.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 181 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $1,700–$3,250
- Container or pod
- $1,150–$2,200
- Rent a truck
- $450–$850
Other moves from Philadelphia
Dig into State College
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
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%.
Did people actually move from Philadelphia to State College?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Philadelphia → State College move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.