Trenton, NJ vs Philadelphia, PA
Moving from Trenton to Philadelphia? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($446,377 → $390,463 median home) and taxes.
Trenton 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 Trenton, NJ, you'd need about $99,946 in Philadelphia, PA (−$54).
Livability — Trenton, NJ: 56 · Philadelphia, PA: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,129 sqft in Trenton vs 2,241 sqft in Philadelphia ($235 vs $223 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Trenton, NJ | Philadelphia, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $31,476 | $22,968 | −$8,508 |
| Groceries | $4,888 | $4,909 | +$21 |
| Transportation | $3,710 | $3,440 | −$270 |
| Utilities | $2,544 | $2,316 | −$228 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,200 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $21,636 | $10,192 | −$11,444 |
| Total | $65,554 | $45,025 | −$20,529 |
Side by side
| Metric | Trenton, NJ | Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.4 | 102.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.12% | 6.12% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.8% | 2.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 53 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.82 |
| Median home price | $446,377 | $390,463 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.1% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $223 |
| Median rent | $2,623 | $1,914 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 13.2% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.60% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 2.62% | 1.61% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 23.5 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 23 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 3 |