SalaryCompareTool

Ann Arbor, MI vs Philadelphia, PA

Moving from Ann Arbor to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,945 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.

Ann Arbor vs Philadelphia at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Ann Arbor, MI Philadelphia, PA Cost-of-living index Ann Arbor, MI — Cost-of-living index: 98 98 Philadelphia, PA — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 Median home price Ann Arbor, MI — Median home price: $423k $423k Philadelphia, PA — Median home price: $390k $390k Price per sqft Ann Arbor, MI — Price per sqft: $256 $256 Philadelphia, PA — Price per sqft: $223 $223 Median rent Ann Arbor, MI — Median rent: $2,068 $2,068 Philadelphia, PA — Median rent: $1,914 $1,914 Combined sales tax Ann Arbor, MI — Combined sales tax: 6.0% 6.0% Philadelphia, PA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Property tax rate Ann Arbor, MI — Property tax rate: 1.56% 1.56% Philadelphia, PA — Property tax rate: 1.61% 1.61% Violent crime /100k Ann Arbor, MI — Violent crime /100k: 460 460 Philadelphia, PA — Violent crime /100k: 390 390 Electricity ¢/kWh Ann Arbor, MI — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.4 21.4 Philadelphia, PA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.5 21.5 Avg commute (min) Ann Arbor, MI — Avg commute (min): 24 24 Philadelphia, PA — Avg commute (min): 29 29 Avg summer high °F Ann Arbor, MI — Avg summer high °F: 83° 83° Philadelphia, PA — Avg summer high °F: 85° 85° Avg winter low °F Ann Arbor, MI — Avg winter low °F: 16° 16° Philadelphia, PA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Ann Arbor, MI, you'd need about $104,292 in Philadelphia, PA (+$4,292).

Livability — Ann Arbor, MI: 61 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,951 sqft in Ann Arbor vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($256 vs $223 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryAnn Arbor, MIPhiladelphia, PADifference
Housing $24,816 $22,968 −$1,848
Groceries $4,703 $4,909 +$206
Transportation $4,575 $3,440 −$1,135
Utilities $2,316 $2,316 +$0
Insurance $1,300 $1,200 −$100
Taxes $11,605 $10,192 −$1,413
Total $49,315 $45,025 −$4,290

Side by side

MetricAnn Arbor, MIPhiladelphia, PA
Cost-of-living index98.2102.4
Unemployment rate4.69%6.12%
Population growth (5-yr)2.4%2.8%
Air quality (median AQI)4353
Big Mac price (est.)$5.58$5.82
Median home price$422,945$390,463
Home price ÷ income5.0×4.6×
1-yr home appreciation2.5%2.5%
Price per square foot$256$223
Median rent$2,068$1,914
Total tax burden (% income)10.0%10.6%
Combined sales tax6.00%6.34%
Capital gains tax4.25%3.07%
Property tax rate1.56%1.61%
Healthcare (annual)$6,500$7,000
Childcare (annual, infant)$11,000$12,000
Vehicle property tax0.61%None
Avg commute (min)2429
Home insurance / yr$1,300$1,200
Auto insurance / yr$2,700$1,600
Flood insurance / yr$600$650
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh21.421.5
Gas $/gal3.353.55
Violent crime /100k460390
Avg summer high °F8385
Avg winter low °F1622
Permit difficulty (1–5)33

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