Philadelphia vs Boston
The short version
- Philadelphia is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Boston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $243,100 in Philadelphia and $731,700 in Boston.
- Households earn more in Boston ($97,344 vs $61,953 median).
- Philadelphia has the warmer winter: January highs of 41°F vs 37°F.
- Boston gets far more snow: 49 inches a year vs 23.
Side by side
| Philadelphia, PA | Boston, MA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,574,281 | 672,973 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.8% | -0.8% |
| People per square mile | 11,720 | 13,921 |
| Median age | 35.3 | 33.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35% | 55% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $61,953 | $97,344 |
| Median home value | $243,100 | $731,700 |
| Home value to income | 3.9× | 7.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,397 | $2,147 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 102.6 | 108.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 113.1 | 148.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $76,900 | $81,200 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 36% |
| Top state income tax | 3.07% | 9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 6.25% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 31.7 | 30.3 |
| Work from home | 18% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 17% | 23% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8.1% | 6.1% |
| Poverty rate | 21.4% | 16.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 41° / 26° | 37° / 23° |
| July high / low | 88° / 70° | 82° / 66° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 44 in |
| Snowfall per year | 23 in | 49 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 30 | 14 |
| Nights below freezing | 77 | 92 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.6 | 93.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 41% | 71% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.3% | +3.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.5% | +39.7% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Philadelphia: April to June and August to October. Boston: May to October.
Full monthly tables: Philadelphia weather by month and Boston weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $76,900 in Philadelphia and $81,200 in Boston. Moving from Philadelphia to Boston, you would need about $79,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Philadelphia and Boston
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Philadelphia and Boston.
Which would you pick?
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