Columbus, GA vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Columbus to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($209,527 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Columbus 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 Columbus, GA, you'd need about $115,220 in Philadelphia, PA (+$15,220).
Livability — Columbus, GA: 76 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,892 sqft in Columbus vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($102 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, GA | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,336 | $22,968 | +$7,632 |
| Groceries | $4,816 | $4,909 | +$93 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,440 | −$75 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $2,316 | +$660 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,200 | −$900 |
| Taxes | $9,327 | $10,192 | +$865 |
| Total | $36,750 | $45,025 | +$8,275 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, GA | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 88.8 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.87% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.06 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $209,527 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $102 | $223 |
| Median rent | $1,278 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.79% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |