Cost of Living: Bowie, MD vs Philadelphia, PA

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,224/mo in Bowie, MD versus $4,337/mo in Philadelphia, PA. In the model, rent is about 32.64% of gross in Bowie, MD versus 19.29% in Philadelphia, PA, so Philadelphia, PA tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Bowie, MD
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Philadelphia, PA
$4,337/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Bowie, MD
32.64%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in Philadelphia, PA
19.29%
COLI tier: mid-range

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Bowie, MD and Philadelphia, PA.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Philadelphia, PA
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Philadelphia, PA
  • Lower home prices: Philadelphia, PA
  • Higher median household income: Bowie, MD

Cost of Living Index

Bowie, MD: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Philadelphia, PA: 95.2 (U.S. = 100)

Philadelphia, PA has a lower cost-of-living index than Bowie, MD, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Bowie, MD: $2,128/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Philadelphia, PA: $1,257/mo

Median rent in Bowie, MD is $871/mo higher than in Philadelphia, PA.

Median Home Price

Bowie, MD: $442,000 · Philadelphia, PA: $232,400

Median home price in Bowie, MD is $209,600 higher than in Philadelphia, PA.

Median Household Income

Bowie, MD: $141,831 · Philadelphia, PA: $60,698

Bowie, MD has a higher median household income than Philadelphia, PA by $81,133.

Bowie, MD overview · Philadelphia, PA overview · Popular comparisons