Pennsylvania city guide
Housing Costs and Affordability in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia has about 1,579,706 residents. Median gross rent is $1,397 per month, while median household income is $61,953.
Quick answer
What income supports the median rent?
A household would need about $55,900 per year to keep Philadelphia's median gross rent near 30% of gross income. The current citywide median-rent-to-median-income benchmark is 27%.
Elevated housing-cost benchmarkData scope: figures use 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates. The latest official release was checked Aug 01, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. The benchmark compares citywide medians and is designed for broad relocation research, not an individual budget or a live apartment search.
Personal rent check
Test Philadelphia rent against your income
Enter gross annual household income to compare a 30% monthly housing target with the citywide median gross rent.
High estimate precision Margins of error use the Census ACS 90% confidence level. Smaller geographies and subgroups can have wider uncertainty.
Major-city decision brief · Priority city 5 of 30
What stands out for a move to Philadelphia
Four signals derived from the same Census dataset help separate the renting, buying and ownership picture.
-
01
Income versus the rent target
Median household income is $6,053 above the $55,900 income associated with median rent at 30%. That is a citywide cushion, not a promise that a specific household or apartment will fit.
-
02
Rent position inside Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ranks #28 from lowest to highest rent among 33 covered Pennsylvania cities. Its rent is 16% below the dataset median across the full 10-state dataset.
-
03
Buying requires a different scale of income
Median home value equals 3.9x median household income, 9% below the dataset median. This ratio does not include rates, down payment, property tax, insurance or maintenance.
-
04
Ownership is one part of the local housing mix
52% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 18% below the dataset median. The remaining share includes renter-occupied housing and should not be read as current inventory availability.
Direct comparisons
Compare Philadelphia with another city
How Philadelphia compares
Median rent is 16% below the dataset median, while household income is 26% below the dataset median. Within Pennsylvania, Philadelphia ranks #28 from lowest to highest rent and #16 from highest to lowest household income among 33 cities in the current dataset.
The citywide rent-to-income benchmark is between 25% and 30%. This benchmark is useful for comparing cities under one formula, but households with different incomes, unit sizes or debt loads will experience costs differently.
Renting snapshot
$16,764 in annual median rent
Twelve months of median gross rent totals about $16,764. Gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable in the ACS definition.
Buying snapshot
14.5x price-to-rent baseline
Median home value is about 14.5x annual median rent. This is a broad market comparison and does not include mortgage rates, taxes, insurance or maintenance.
Search terms, defined
How to read rent, home price and AMI searches
These distinctions keep the Census estimates comparable and prevent a historical survey measure from being mistaken for a live market quote.
- Average rent vs. median gross rent
- If you searched for the average rent in Philadelphia, the closest consistent Census measure on this page is $1,397 median gross rent. It is the midpoint among renter-occupied homes, not a live average asking rent. Gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable.
- Home price vs. median home value
- The reported $243,100 median home value is the midpoint of owner estimates for owner-occupied homes. It is not an average sale price, listing price or current automated valuation.
- Household income vs. AMI
- The $61,953 median household income is a Census city estimate. It is not HUD Area Median Income (AMI), an AMI eligibility limit or an affordable-housing contract amount.
Keep comparing
Similar-size cities in Pennsylvania
Questions people ask
What is the median rent in Philadelphia?
Median gross rent is $1,397 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.
What is the average rent in Philadelphia?
This page reports Census median gross rent of $1,397 per month, not a live average asking rent. Median is the midpoint among renter-occupied homes; gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated tenant-paid utilities where applicable.
What income is needed for the median rent?
A gross household income of about $55,900 per year would keep median gross rent near 30% of income. This is a planning benchmark, not a landlord qualification rule.
Is housing affordable in Philadelphia?
The citywide median-rent-to-median-income benchmark is 27%, which this site labels a elevated housing-cost benchmark. Individual costs can differ substantially.
Does this page report Area Median Income or AMI?
No. The $61,953 figure is Census median household income for the city. It is not HUD Area Median Income, an AMI limit or an affordable-housing contract amount.
What is the median home value in Philadelphia?
The median value of owner-occupied homes is $243,100 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.
What is the average home price in Philadelphia?
This page reports a Census median owner-occupied home value of $243,100, not an average sale price, current listing price or real-time market estimate.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Latest release checked Aug 01, 2026 at 03:00 UTC. Review the definitions and methodology.