Buffalo, NY vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Buffalo to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($288,316 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Buffalo vs Philadelphia at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Buffalo, NY, you'd need about $107,840 in Philadelphia, PA (+$7,840).
Livability — Buffalo, NY: 61 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,775 sqft in Buffalo vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($180 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Buffalo, NY | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,328 | $22,968 | +$5,640 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $4,909 | +$41 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,440 | −$455 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $2,316 | −$864 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,200 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $18,192 | $10,192 | −$8,000 |
| Total | $49,063 | $45,025 | −$4,038 |
Side by side
| Metric | Buffalo, NY | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.9 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.10% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.4% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.40 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $288,316 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.3× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $180 | $223 |
| Median rent | $1,444 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 2.26% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 3 |