SalaryCompareTool

Portland, ME vs Philadelphia, PA

Moving from Portland to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($542,063 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.

Portland vs Philadelphia at a glance

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

Portland, ME Philadelphia, PA Cost-of-living index Portland, ME — Cost-of-living index: 104 104 Philadelphia, PA — Cost-of-living index: 102 102 Median home price Portland, ME — Median home price: $542k $542k Philadelphia, PA — Median home price: $390k $390k Price per sqft Portland, ME — Price per sqft: $319 $319 Philadelphia, PA — Price per sqft: $223 $223 Median rent Portland, ME — Median rent: $2,320 $2,320 Philadelphia, PA — Median rent: $1,914 $1,914 Combined sales tax Portland, ME — Combined sales tax: 5.5% 5.5% Philadelphia, PA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Property tax rate Portland, ME — Property tax rate: 1.14% 1.14% Philadelphia, PA — Property tax rate: 1.61% 1.61% Violent crime /100k Portland, ME — Violent crime /100k: 110 110 Philadelphia, PA — Violent crime /100k: 390 390 Electricity ¢/kWh Portland, ME — Electricity ¢/kWh: 28.4 28.4 Philadelphia, PA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.5 21.5 Avg commute (min) Portland, ME — Avg commute (min): 25 25 Philadelphia, PA — Avg commute (min): 29 29 Avg summer high °F Portland, ME — Avg summer high °F: 80° 80° Philadelphia, PA — Avg summer high °F: 85° 85° Avg winter low °F Portland, ME — Avg winter low °F: 10° 10° Philadelphia, PA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Portland, ME, you'd need about $98,092 in Philadelphia, PA (−$1,908).

Livability — Portland, ME: 58 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,568 sqft in Portland vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($319 vs $223 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryPortland, MEPhiladelphia, PADifference
Housing $27,840 $22,968 −$4,872
Groceries $4,917 $4,909 −$8
Transportation $2,775 $3,440 +$665
Utilities $3,072 $2,316 −$756
Insurance $1,000 $1,200 +$200
Taxes $12,997 $10,192 −$2,805
Total $52,601 $45,025 −$7,576

Side by side

MetricPortland, MEPhiladelphia, PA
Cost-of-living index104.4102.4
Unemployment rate3.37%6.12%
Population growth (5-yr)5.2%2.8%
Air quality (median AQI)3953
Big Mac price (est.)$5.94$5.82
Median home price$542,063$390,463
Home price ÷ income6.4×4.6×
1-yr home appreciation1.0%2.5%
Price per square foot$319$223
Median rent$2,320$1,914
Total tax burden (% income)12.4%10.6%
Combined sales tax5.50%6.34%
Capital gains tax7.15%3.07%
Property tax rate1.14%1.61%
Healthcare (annual)$8,000$7,000
Childcare (annual, infant)$12,000$12,000
Vehicle property tax2.40%None
Avg commute (min)2529
Home insurance / yr$1,000$1,200
Auto insurance / yr$1,000$1,600
Flood insurance / yr$700$650
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh28.421.5
Gas $/gal3.353.55
Violent crime /100k110390
Avg summer high °F8085
Avg winter low °F1022
Permit difficulty (1–5)33
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