Charleston, WV vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Charleston to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($148,817 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Charleston 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 Charleston, WV, you'd need about $114,940 in Philadelphia, PA (+$14,940).
Livability — Charleston, WV: 77 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 5,714 sqft in Charleston vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($88 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charleston, WV | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,180 | $22,968 | +$7,788 |
| Groceries | $4,767 | $4,909 | +$142 |
| Transportation | $3,410 | $3,440 | +$30 |
| Utilities | $1,740 | $2,316 | +$576 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,200 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $8,230 | $10,192 | +$1,963 |
| Total | $34,627 | $45,025 | +$10,398 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charleston, WV | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.76% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 17.3% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $148,817 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 2.7× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.0% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $88 | $223 |
| Median rent | $1,265 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.8% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.55% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.12% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.65% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.66% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.1 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 280 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |