Cost of Living: Brownsville, TX vs Philadelphia, PA

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,516/mo in Brownsville, TX versus $4,337/mo in Philadelphia, PA. In the model, rent is about 13.1% of gross in Brownsville, TX versus 19.29% in Philadelphia, PA, so Brownsville, TX tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Brownsville, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in Philadelphia, PA
$4,337/mo
Income level: above
Rent share (1BR) in Brownsville, TX
13.1%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Philadelphia, PA
19.29%
COLI tier: mid-range

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Brownsville, TX and Philadelphia, PA.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

Brownsville, TX: 79.8 (U.S. = 100) · Philadelphia, PA: 95.2 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

Brownsville, TX: $854/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Philadelphia, PA: $1,257/mo

Median rent in Philadelphia, PA is $403/mo higher than in Brownsville, TX.

Median Home Price

Brownsville, TX: $120,000 · Philadelphia, PA: $232,400

Median home price in Philadelphia, PA is $112,400 higher than in Brownsville, TX.

Median Household Income

Brownsville, TX: $51,334 · Philadelphia, PA: $60,698

Philadelphia, PA has a higher median household income than Brownsville, TX by $9,364.

Brownsville, TX overview · Philadelphia, PA overview · Popular comparisons