SalaryCompareTool

Philadelphia, PA vs College Station, TX

Moving from Philadelphia to College Station? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,463 → $310,961 median home) and taxes.

Philadelphia vs College Station at a glance

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

Philadelphia, PA College Station, TX Cost-of-living index Philadelphia, PA — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 College Station, TX — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Median home price Philadelphia, PA — Median home price: $390k $390k College Station, TX — Median home price: $311k $311k Price per sqft Philadelphia, PA — Price per sqft: $223 $223 College Station, TX — Price per sqft: $148 $148 Median rent Philadelphia, PA — Median rent: $1,914 $1,914 College Station, TX — Median rent: $1,472 $1,472 Combined sales tax Philadelphia, PA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% College Station, TX — Combined sales tax: 8.2% 8.2% Property tax rate Philadelphia, PA — Property tax rate: 1.61% 1.61% College Station, TX — Property tax rate: 1.55% 1.55% Violent crime /100k Philadelphia, PA — Violent crime /100k: 390 390 College Station, TX — Violent crime /100k: 430 430 Electricity ¢/kWh Philadelphia, PA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.5 21.5 College Station, TX — Electricity ¢/kWh: 17.0 17.0 Avg commute (min) Philadelphia, PA — Avg commute (min): 29 29 College Station, TX — Avg commute (min): 19 19 Avg summer high °F Philadelphia, PA — Avg summer high °F: 85° 85° College Station, TX — Avg summer high °F: 96° 96° Avg winter low °F Philadelphia, PA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22° College Station, TX — Avg winter low °F: 38° 38°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Philadelphia, PA, you'd need about $89,153 in College Station, TX (−$10,847).

Livability — Philadelphia, PA: 62 · College Station, TX: 73 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia vs 3,376 sqft in College Station ($223 vs $148 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryPhiladelphia, PACollege Station, TXDifference
Housing $22,968 $17,664 −$5,304
Groceries $4,909 $4,647 −$262
Transportation $3,440 $3,675 +$235
Utilities $2,316 $1,836 −$480
Insurance $1,200 $3,600 +$2,400
Taxes $10,192 $6,648 −$3,544
Total $45,025 $38,070 −$6,955

Side by side

MetricPhiladelphia, PACollege Station, TX
Cost-of-living index102.491.3
Unemployment rate6.12%4.73%
Population growth (5-yr)2.8%8.4%
Air quality (median AQI)5339
Big Mac price (est.)$5.82$5.19
Median home price$390,463$310,961
Home price ÷ income4.6×5.3×
1-yr home appreciation2.5%0.9%
Price per square foot$223$148
Median rent$1,914$1,472
Total tax burden (% income)10.6%8.6%
Combined sales tax6.34%8.20%
Capital gains tax3.07%None
Property tax rate1.61%1.55%
Healthcare (annual)$7,000$6,800
Childcare (annual, infant)$12,000$9,500
Vehicle property taxNoneNone
Avg commute (min)2919
Home insurance / yr$1,200$3,600
Auto insurance / yr$1,600$2,100
Flood insurance / yr$650$900
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh21.517.0
Gas $/gal3.553.00
Violent crime /100k390430
Avg summer high °F8596
Avg winter low °F2238
Permit difficulty (1–5)32

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