New York-Newark-Jersey City Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from New York-Newark-Jersey City to Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 112.6 to 102.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $514/mo.

-$12,888
BLS median salary lower in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
380 to 250
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.8:1 to 13.6:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 112.6 → 102.6
Rent Delta: -$514/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 10% lower cost of living
  • + $514/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate

Cons of Moving

  • - $13K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 112.6 to 102.6, so each dollar covers more in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington (ratio 0.91). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $514/mo ($6,168/yr) from $2,324 in New York-Newark-Jersey City to $1,810 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington sits #279 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). New York-Newark-Jersey City is #344/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $12,888 lower ($87,148 → $74,260). Labor-market size: 9,414,820 tracked jobs at origin vs 2,874,190 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Pennsylvania scores 65 (C, #18/51) vs New York at 46 (F, #46/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 112.6
RPP 102.6
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Rent (2BR)
$2,324/mo
$1,810/mo
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Wages
$87,148
$74,260
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Crime
380 per 100K
250 per 100K
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Schools
11.8:1
13.6:1
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Childcare
$13,869/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
5536 violations
5292 violations
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · New York
46 F #46/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
48
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
96
Destination state · Pennsylvania
65 C #18/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
58
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
72

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in New York-Newark-Jersey City to see what you'd need to earn in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026