Reno, NV vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Reno to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($570,546 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Reno 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 Reno, NV, you'd need about $104,425 in Philadelphia, PA (+$4,425).
Livability — Reno, NV: 62 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,665 sqft in Reno vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($300 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Reno, NV | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,736 | $22,968 | −$768 |
| Groceries | $4,841 | $4,909 | +$68 |
| Transportation | $4,740 | $3,440 | −$1,300 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $2,316 | +$768 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,200 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $5,060 | $10,192 | +$5,133 |
| Total | $41,225 | $45,025 | +$3,800 |
Side by side
| Metric | Reno, NV | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.0 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.01% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 9.2% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 50 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.58 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $570,546 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.0× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.0% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $300 | $223 |
| Median rent | $1,978 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.23% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.48% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.12% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $500 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.3 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.20 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 95 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |