Is Charlotte cheaper than Philadelphia?

Charlotte is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Philadelphia's (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Which has higher household income, Charlotte or Philadelphia?

Philadelphia has the higher median household income — $90,850 versus $85,938 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Charlotte or Philadelphia?

It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($88,279 versus $88,587).

Which has cheaper rent, Charlotte or Philadelphia?

Rents are close — $1,594/mo in the Charlotte metro versus $1,567/mo in Philadelphia (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Charlotte vs Philadelphia

Metro-area medians — Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area vs Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Charlotte comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Charlotte is about 5% cheaper to live in, while Philadelphia households earn about 6% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Charlotte, NC

$58,668

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$60,266

real value after local prices

Philadelphia, PA

$59,011

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$57,541

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Charlotte leaves you about $2,725/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Charlotte

Philadelphia

Livability (CityLedger)

64/100

61/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

97.3

102.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$88,279

$88,587

Median household income

$85,938

$90,850

Median rent

$1,594/mo

$1,567/mo

Median home value

$400,400

$375,100

Unemployment

3.7%

4.8%

Bachelor's degree or higher

41.5%

43.3%

Average commute

27.5 min

29.7 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

61°F

56°F

Choose Charlotte for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute

Full Charlotte profile →

Choose Philadelphia for

+ Median household income
+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Philadelphia profile →

Charlotte vs Philadelphia — frequently asked

Is Charlotte cheaper than Philadelphia?: Charlotte is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Philadelphia's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Charlotte or Philadelphia?: Philadelphia has the higher median household income — $90,850 versus $85,938 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 6% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Charlotte or Philadelphia?: It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($88,279 versus $88,587).
Which has cheaper rent, Charlotte or Philadelphia?: Rents are close — $1,594/mo in the Charlotte metro versus $1,567/mo in Philadelphia (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).