Living in Philadelphia, PA
Major city in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is a major city in Pennsylvania, home to about 1.6 million people, with 3.5 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, you can walk or take transit almost everywhere. Life moves at a very fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
In short: Big-city walkability and history at a lower cost than New York or Boston, with trains to both.
Is Philadelphia a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 16 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Lots of culture: museums, zoos and attractions nearby
- Easy flying: PHL is 11 mi away
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $203k and rents for $2,170 a month
👎 Cons
- Few dog parks: 42 within 9 mi
- Cloudier than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Philadelphia ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Philadelphia: common questions
What is the cost of living in Philadelphia?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $203k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,170 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 103, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Philadelphia?
Pennsylvania collects about $1,376 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.84% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Philadelphia safe?
Philadelphia isn't in the FBI's 2019 city crime table, so Best Life Fit Me counts its safety as average.
What is the weather like in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia has cool winters: winter days average around 44°F and summer days around 87°F, with roughly 16″ of snow a year.
Does Philadelphia get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from flooding and heat waves: 9 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.62 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Philadelphia?
The nearest major airport is PHL, about 11 mi away.
How Philadelphia scores
Each bar compares Philadelphia with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Philadelphia
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 23 aspects.
Nearby
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Is Philadelphia right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.