Harrisburg, PA vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Harrisburg to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($312,126 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Harrisburg 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 Harrisburg, PA, you'd need about $105,556 in Philadelphia, PA (+$5,556).
Livability — Harrisburg, PA: 65 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,803 sqft in Harrisburg vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($178 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Harrisburg, PA | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,844 | $22,968 | +$5,124 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $4,909 | −$6 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,440 | +$0 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $2,316 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,200 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $8,331 | $10,192 | +$1,861 |
| Total | $38,046 | $45,025 | +$6,979 |
Side by side
| Metric | Harrisburg, PA | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.0 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.97% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 48 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.52 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $312,126 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.1× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.5% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $178 | $223 |
| Median rent | $1,487 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.35% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |