Cost of living in Chester, Pennsylvania

Chester, Pennsylvania has about 33,619 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $83,100.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Delaware County is $1,860 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Chester. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, prices sit at 102.6 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.

Pennsylvania taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 6.3% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Chester's exact store tax.

Some places in Pennsylvania add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 0.99% of income. That is not a Chester bill.

In July 2026, a typical Pennsylvania home paid 21.72¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Chester's bill.

EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Pennsylvania in the table we use.

Among 873 places we list in Pennsylvania with a rent figure, 404 have higher typical rent than Chester.