New Haven, CT vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from New Haven to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($408,096 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
New Haven 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 New Haven, CT, you'd need about $97,157 in Philadelphia, PA (−$2,843).
Livability — New Haven, CT: 58 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,328 sqft in New Haven vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($215 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | New Haven, CT | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,232 | $22,968 | −$3,264 |
| Groceries | $4,930 | $4,909 | −$21 |
| Transportation | $3,720 | $3,440 | −$280 |
| Utilities | $3,480 | $2,316 | −$1,164 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,200 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $15,543 | $10,192 | −$5,350 |
| Total | $55,505 | $45,025 | −$10,480 |
Side by side
| Metric | New Haven, CT | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.4 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.36% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.99 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $408,096 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.0× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.8% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $215 | $223 |
| Median rent | $2,186 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.4% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.35% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 6.99% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 2.17% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.07% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 32.2 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $106 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $88 | $65 |
| Home internet / mo | $66 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 150 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 47.1 | 44.1 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 51.7 | 23.1 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |