SalaryCompareTool

Philadelphia, PA vs Ann Arbor, MI

Moving from Philadelphia to Ann Arbor? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,463 → $422,945 median home) and taxes.

Philadelphia vs Ann Arbor at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Philadelphia, PA Ann Arbor, MI Cost-of-living index Philadelphia, PA — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 Ann Arbor, MI — Cost-of-living index: 98 98 Median home price Philadelphia, PA — Median home price: $390k $390k Ann Arbor, MI — Median home price: $423k $423k Price per sqft Philadelphia, PA — Price per sqft: $223 $223 Ann Arbor, MI — Price per sqft: $256 $256 Median rent Philadelphia, PA — Median rent: $1,914 $1,914 Ann Arbor, MI — Median rent: $2,068 $2,068 Combined sales tax Philadelphia, PA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Ann Arbor, MI — Combined sales tax: 6.0% 6.0% Property tax rate Philadelphia, PA — Property tax rate: 1.61% 1.61% Ann Arbor, MI — Property tax rate: 1.56% 1.56% Violent crime /100k Philadelphia, PA — Violent crime /100k: 390 390 Ann Arbor, MI — Violent crime /100k: 460 460 Electricity ¢/kWh Philadelphia, PA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.5 21.5 Ann Arbor, MI — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.4 21.4 Avg commute (min) Philadelphia, PA — Avg commute (min): 29 29 Ann Arbor, MI — Avg commute (min): 24 24 Avg summer high °F Philadelphia, PA — Avg summer high °F: 85° 85° Ann Arbor, MI — Avg summer high °F: 83° 83° Avg winter low °F Philadelphia, PA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22° Ann Arbor, MI — Avg winter low °F: 16° 16°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Philadelphia, PA, you'd need about $95,884 in Ann Arbor, MI (−$4,116).

Livability — Philadelphia, PA: 62 · Ann Arbor, MI: 61 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia vs 1,951 sqft in Ann Arbor ($223 vs $256 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryPhiladelphia, PAAnn Arbor, MIDifference
Housing $22,968 $24,816 +$1,848
Groceries $4,909 $4,703 −$206
Transportation $3,440 $4,575 +$1,135
Utilities $2,316 $2,316 +$0
Insurance $1,200 $1,300 +$100
Taxes $10,192 $11,605 +$1,413
Total $45,025 $49,315 +$4,290

Side by side

MetricPhiladelphia, PAAnn Arbor, MI
Cost-of-living index102.498.2
Unemployment rate6.12%4.69%
Population growth (5-yr)2.8%2.4%
Air quality (median AQI)5343
Big Mac price (est.)$5.82$5.58
Median home price$390,463$422,945
Home price ÷ income4.6×5.0×
1-yr home appreciation2.5%2.5%
Price per square foot$223$256
Median rent$1,914$2,068
Total tax burden (% income)10.6%10.0%
Combined sales tax6.34%6.00%
Capital gains tax3.07%4.25%
Property tax rate1.61%1.56%
Healthcare (annual)$7,000$6,500
Childcare (annual, infant)$12,000$11,000
Vehicle property taxNone0.61%
Avg commute (min)2924
Home insurance / yr$1,200$1,300
Auto insurance / yr$1,600$2,700
Flood insurance / yr$650$600
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh21.521.4
Gas $/gal3.553.35
Violent crime /100k390460
Avg summer high °F8583
Avg winter low °F2216
Permit difficulty (1–5)33

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