Accountants & Auditors salary in Philadelphia, PA
Median pay for accountants & auditors in Philadelphia, PA: $81,060/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $54,030 – $133,590 · about 29,580 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($74,290) by +$6,770 (+9%).
What it's really worth in Philadelphia
With Philadelphia's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $81,060 has the buying power of about $79,189 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $85,555 · median home $390,463 · median rent $1,914/mo.
How Philadelphia ranks for this job
On raw pay, Philadelphia, PA is 28th of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once Philadelphia's cost of living is applied, it ranks 63rd.
The headline number flatters Philadelphia. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, accountants & auditors here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Philadelphia
A median home in Philadelphia, PA costs $390,463 — about 4.8× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,914/mo works out at 28% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Philadelphia.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Philadelphia | Rent vs Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +41% | 1.9× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +28% | 1.7× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +28% | 1.8× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +20% | 1.3× |
Same job elsewhere in PA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Philadelphia | Rent vs Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown, PA | $76,210 | −6% | 1× |
| Reading, PA | $75,870 | −6% | 0.8× |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $74,830 | −8% | 0.8× |
| Harrisburg, PA | $73,530 | −9% | 0.8× |
Staying in PA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Philadelphia
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.