Manchester, NH vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Manchester to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($526,340 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Manchester 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 Manchester, NH, you'd need about $96,914 in Philadelphia, PA (−$3,086).
Livability — Manchester, NH: 62 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,710 sqft in Manchester vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($292 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Manchester, NH | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,632 | $22,968 | −$2,664 |
| Groceries | $4,935 | $4,909 | −$26 |
| Transportation | $2,955 | $3,440 | +$485 |
| Utilities | $2,940 | $2,316 | −$624 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,200 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $6,681 | $10,192 | +$3,511 |
| Total | $44,143 | $45,025 | +$882 |
Side by side
| Metric | Manchester, NH | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.6 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.69% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.01 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $526,340 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $292 | $223 |
| Median rent | $2,136 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.88% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.80% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.2 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 120 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 81 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |