Philadelphia vs Washington
The short version
- Philadelphia is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Washington area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $243,100 in Philadelphia and $737,100 in Washington.
- Households earn more in Washington ($109,870 vs $61,953 median).
- Philadelphia gets far more snow: 23 inches a year vs 14.
- Washington is growing faster: +0.6% since 2020 vs -1.8%.
Side by side
| Philadelphia, PA | Washington, DC | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,574,281 | 693,645 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.8% | +0.6% |
| People per square mile | 11,720 | 11,348 |
| Median age | 35.3 | 34.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35% | 64% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $61,953 | $109,870 |
| Median home value | $243,100 | $737,100 |
| Home value to income | 3.9× | 6.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,397 | $1,954 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 102.6 | 108.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 113.1 | 151.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $76,900 | $81,700 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 42% |
| Top state income tax | 3.07% | 10.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 6% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 31.7 | 30.0 |
| Work from home | 18% | 33% |
| Take public transit | 17% | 20% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8.1% | 6.3% |
| Poverty rate | 21.4% | 15.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 41° / 26° | 45° / 30° |
| July high / low | 88° / 70° | 90° / 72° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 23 in | 14 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 30 | 40 |
| Nights below freezing | 77 | 60 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.6 | 97.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 41% | 59% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.3% | +0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.5% | +16.7% |
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. Washington: April to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Philadelphia weather by month and Washington 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 $81,700 in Washington. Moving from Philadelphia to Washington, you would need about $79,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Philadelphia and Washington
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 Washington.
Which would you pick?
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