Is Philadelphia cheaper than San Francisco?

Philadelphia is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 13% below San Francisco's (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Which has higher household income, Philadelphia or San Francisco?

San Francisco has the higher median household income — $135,590 versus $90,850 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 49% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Philadelphia or San Francisco?

A paycheck stretches further in San Francisco. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $117,279 there versus $88,587 in Philadelphia.

Which has cheaper rent, Philadelphia or San Francisco?

Philadelphia has cheaper rent — a median of $1,567/mo versus $2,435/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Philadelphia vs San Francisco

Metro-area medians — Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area vs San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Philadelphia comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Philadelphia is about 13% cheaper to live in, while San Francisco households earn about 49% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in San Francisco.

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

Philadelphia, PA

$59,011

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$57,541

real value after local prices

San Francisco, CA

$58,296

take-home / yr · 22% to tax

$50,424

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Philadelphia leaves you about $7,118/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

Philadelphia

San Francisco

Livability (CityLedger)

61/100

77/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

102.6

115.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$88,587

$117,279

Median household income

$90,850

$135,590

Median rent

$1,567/mo

$2,435/mo

Median home value

$375,100

$1,132,900

Unemployment

4.8%

5.5%

Bachelor's degree or higher

43.3%

53.8%

Average commute

29.7 min

32.7 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

56°F

58°F

Choose Philadelphia for

+ Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
+ Median rent
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute

Full Philadelphia profile →

Choose San Francisco for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full San Francisco profile →

Philadelphia vs San Francisco — frequently asked

Is Philadelphia cheaper than San Francisco?: Philadelphia is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 13% below San Francisco's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Philadelphia or San Francisco?: San Francisco has the higher median household income — $135,590 versus $90,850 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 49% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Philadelphia or San Francisco?: A paycheck stretches further in San Francisco. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $117,279 there versus $88,587 in Philadelphia.
Which has cheaper rent, Philadelphia or San Francisco?: Philadelphia has cheaper rent — a median of $1,567/mo versus $2,435/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).