Salt Lake City-Murray → Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Salt Lake City-Murray to Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.9 to 102.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $63/mo.

+$4,225
BLS median salary higher in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
229 to 250
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
20.3:1 to 13:1
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
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 100.9 → 102.6
Rent Delta: +$63/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $4K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - $63/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 100.9 to 102.6 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $63/mo ($756/yr) from $1,747 in Salt Lake City-Murray to $1,810 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington sits #279 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Salt Lake City-Murray is #342/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,225 higher ($70,035 → $74,260). Labor-market size: 790,120 tracked jobs at origin vs 2,874,190 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Pennsylvania scores 65 (C, #18/51) vs Utah at 53 (D, #40/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Salt Lake City-Murray
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.9
RPP 102.6
Salt Lake City-Murray
Rent (2BR)
$1,747/mo
$1,810/mo
Salt Lake City-Murray
Wages
$70,035
$74,260
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Crime
229 per 100K
250 per 100K
Salt Lake City-Murray
Schools
20.3:1
13:1
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Childcare
$11,828/yr
N/A
Tie
Environment
1172 violations
5292 violations
Salt Lake City-Murray

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 · Utah
53 D #40/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
83
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
0
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 Salt Lake City-Murray 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