How Much Does It Cost to Live In Philadelphia, PA?
Philadelphia, often referred to as “Philly,” located in Southeastern Pennsylvania, is the fifth most populous city in the United States.
Philadelphia, once the capital of the United States, plays a very important role in the history and life of the nation.
As such an important city, it’s no wonder that it’s brimming with historically important points and landmarks, as well as other forms of entertainment and leisure.
It is one of the centers of America, with a lower cost of living, and it recently went under a huge development giving it a totally new shine.
United States : Cost of Living by City
- Albany, NY
- Albuquerque, NM
- Anchorage, AK
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Arlington, TX
- Asheville, NC
- Atlanta, GA
- Austin, TX
- Bakersfield, CA
- Baltimore, MD
- Bellevue, WA
- Bellingham, WA
- Berkeley, CA
- Birmingham, AL
- Boise, ID
- Boston, MA
- Boulder, CO
- Brooklyn, NY
- Buffalo, NY
- Burlington, VT
- Charleston, SC
- Charlotte, NC
- Chattanooga, TN
- Chicago, IL
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Columbia, SC
- Columbus, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Dayton, OH
- Denver, CO
- Des Moines, IA
- Detroit, MI
- El Paso, TX
- Eugene, OR
- Everett, WA
- Fayetteville, AR
- Fort Myers, FL
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Fort Worth, TX
- Fresno, CA
- Gainesville, FL
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Greensboro, NC
- Hartford, CT
- Honolulu, HI
- Houston, TX
- Huntsville, AL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Irvine, CA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Jersey City, NJ
- Kansas City, MO
- Knoxville, TN
- Las Vegas, NV
- Lexington, KY
- Little Rock, AR
- Long Beach, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Louisville, KY
- Lubbock, TX
- Madison, WI
- Memphis, TN
- Miami, FL
- Milwaukee, WI
- Minneapolis, MN
- Nashville, TN
- New Orleans, LA
- New York, NY
- Oakland, CA
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Olympia, WA
- Orlando, FL
- Peoria, IL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Portland, ME
- Portland, OR
- Raleigh, NC
- Reno, NV
- Richmond, VA
- Rochester, NY
- Sacramento, CA
- Saint Louis, MO
- Saint Paul, MN
- Saint Petersburg, FL
- Salem, OR
- Salt Lake City, UT
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Springfield, MO
- Syracuse, NY
- Tacoma, WA
- Tallahassee, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Toledo, OH
- Tucson, AZ
- Tulsa, OK
- Vancouver, WA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Washington, DC
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Wichita, KS
RESTAURANTS
Philly is now definitely a foodie city with all the new restaurants and places that have opened recently.
A great new area that deserves an honorable mention is South Philly, particularly near Passyunk Avenue.
It’s another area which has undergone a lot of development recently and has lots of cool restaurants.
MARKETS
The Italian Market in South Philly is an open-air street market with fresh produce and food and it’s very popular in this city.
During the weekend, you can shop for food here or at the Reading Terminal Market, which will give you a chance to inspect every food product before purchasing.
Here, you can buy ethnic Philly-special products – LaColombe coffee beans, Basset’s ice cream, and every kind of locally made chocolate out there.
TRANSPORTATION
Philadelphia can boast a developing bicycle-friendly culture that’s still growing and now includes a network of bike lanes and a new citywide bike share service called Indigo.
The cash fare for the city’s main public transport is 2.50$ exact change only.
Everything is close enough to walk to so you don’t have to drive a car: you can ride a bike or just walk and save a bunch of money.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities are reasonable in Philadelphia, but it does depend on the size of your apartment.
Generally speaking, if you’re living in an apartment of about 85m2 your utilities including electricity, gas, water, heating, and cooling will cost you less than 170$.
The internet service is fast and costs around 66$.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Fitness and practicing sports are somewhat of a luxury everywhere and this applies to every city and country, and so it applies to Philadelphia, too.
If you want to become a member of a gym or a fitness club, expect it to cost around 50$.
Cinema tickets are reasonably priced, too: if you want to go to the movies, prepare 12$ for your ticket.
CLOTHING & SHOES
If you want to go shopping in Philadelphia, opportunities are aplenty.
Like the 3rd Street Corridor in Old City.
This ‘Old World’ section has the city’s popular independent retailers for fashion, art and design.
You can find quality jeans like Levi’s for only 45$, while a pair of quality running shoes from brands like Nike cost around 88$.
RENT PER MONTH
Apartment rents vary as well.
The least expensive apartment prices are around 500$ and the most expensive places are upwards of 5000$, although the average rent ranges from $800 to $1200.
The cheapest neighborhoods are Harrowgate, Logan-Fern Rock, and Olney.
The most expensive areas are Riverfront and Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Philadelphia, PA
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $22.50 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $6.00 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $1.75 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.23 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $4.07 |
| Eggs (12) | $4.78 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $2.50 |
| Monthly Pass | $96.00 |
| Gasoline | $1.00 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $170.75 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.10 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $65.26 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $51.42 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $20.00 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $14.00 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $45.77 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $35.27 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $88.07 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $1911.90 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $1304.96 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $3162.58 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Philadelphia, PA?
Food is definitely how the average person in Philadelphia spends the biggest part of their salary, with rent not too far behind.
Rent is, actually, the next thing that draws the biggest bulk of money from the people of Philadelphia.
The fact that rent is second to food only means that though it isn’t the highest expense in this city it is definitely among the most expensive tolls on people’s salaries.
Restaurants are the third on the pie chart of expenses, followed by transportation which is an everyday necessity.
The people of Philadelphia spend more money on sports and leisure than on utilities.
Average Costs Breakdown
Philadelphia, PA: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
The minimum wage in Philadelphia is around 1200$ which is relatively low yet still high enough to be able to cover all of your costs in this important city.
While the average monthly net salary is well over 4900$ which allows for residents of Philadelphia to live without having to worry about their existence, there is always going to be an aspect of dissatisfaction with the influx of money.
If you’re planning on going to Philadelphia for a period of time, you can bring around 2500$ for a month and that should definitely suffice.
Philadelphia Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Philadelphia Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: LOW
- TERRORISM RISK: LOW
- SCAMS RISK: LOW
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
