Compare / Philadelphia to San Diego
Philadelphia, PA vs San Diego, CA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $963 a month in Philadelphia.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is housing prices. The BEA housing price parity differs by 66.1 points (Philadelphia 113.1, San Diego 179.3).
Pennsylvania taxes wages at a flat 3.07%. California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. Combined sales tax differs by 2.6 percentage points, higher in California. The effective property tax gap is 0.45 percentage points, higher in Pennsylvania.
After a move from Pennsylvania to California, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Philadelphia lines up with about $81,825 in San Diego on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,860
- HUD area
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,567
- All-items price parity
- 102.6
- Goods price parity
- 96.8
- Utilities price parity
- 114.4
- Mean commute
- 29.7 min
- Median household income
- $90,850
San Diego
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,823
- HUD area
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $2,336
- All-items price parity
- 111.9
- Goods price parity
- 108.0
- Utilities price parity
- 174.2
- Mean commute
- 26.1 min
- Median household income
- $109,132
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$81,825
Salary in San Diego that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$83,237
Gross salary in San Diego whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$113,831
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Pennsylvania | California |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 3.07% flat | up to 13.30% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 6.3% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 1.16% | 0.71% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $4,631 a year in Pennsylvania and $2,828 in California. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in California
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Pennsylvania and once in California. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
PhiladelphiaLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
PhiladelphiaLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
WIC
PhiladelphiaLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
School meals
PhiladelphiaLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
LIHEAP
PhiladelphiaMaybe
San DiegoMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
PhiladelphiaLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
PhiladelphiaLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
PhiladelphiaUnlikely
San DiegoUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
PhiladelphiaLikely eligible
San DiegoLikely eligible
SSI
PhiladelphiaUnlikely
San DiegoUnlikely
| Program | Philadelphia | San Diego |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Philadelphia
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Philadelphia.
- Philadelphia and San Francisco · rent gap $1,837
- Philadelphia and San Jose · rent gap $1,412
- Philadelphia and Boston · rent gap $1,148
- Philadelphia and New York · rent gap $1,111
- Philadelphia and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,104
- Philadelphia and McAllen · rent gap $843
- Philadelphia and Wichita · rent gap $817
- Philadelphia and Little Rock · rent gap $739
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.