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CityLedger

Philadelphia vs Seattle

Metro-area medians — Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area vs Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Seattle comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Philadelphia is about 8% cheaper to live in, while Seattle households earn about 24% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Seattle.

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.

Philadelphia, PA
$59,011
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$57,541
real value after local prices
Seattle, WA
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$55,171
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Philadelphia leaves you about $2,370/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
Seattle
Livability (CityLedger)
61/100
78/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
102.6
111.1
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$88,587
$101,129
Median household income
$90,850
$112,388
Median rent
$1,567/mo
$2,050/mo
Median home value
$375,100
$743,000
Unemployment
4.8%
4.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher
43.3%
48.5%
Average commute
29.7 min
30 min
Air quality (median AQI)
53
47
Avg temperature
56°F
54°F

Choose Philadelphia for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
Full Philadelphia profile →

Choose Seattle for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Seattle profile →

Philadelphia vs Seattle — frequently asked

Is Philadelphia cheaper than Seattle?
Philadelphia is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 8% below Seattle's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Philadelphia or Seattle?
Seattle has the higher median household income — $112,388 versus $90,850 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 24% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Philadelphia or Seattle?
A paycheck stretches further in Seattle. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $101,129 there versus $88,587 in Philadelphia.
Which has cheaper rent, Philadelphia or Seattle?
Philadelphia has cheaper rent — a median of $1,567/mo versus $2,050/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).