Overall
Diff -0.2 RPP
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford vs Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is 0.2% less expensive than Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford.
0.2% less expensive
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is 0.2% less expensive than Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 102.6 vs 102.7). A $100,000 salary in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford buys about the same as $99,813 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 102.7 (Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford) vs 102.6 (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington)
- $100k in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford ≈ $99,813 purchasing power in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
- Services drives the gap (-30.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CT:PA 102.7→102.6
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE CT × PA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford
102.7
Cost Index
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
102.6
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is 30.5 points lower. But rents move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
For a service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford to $99,813 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff -0.5 RPP
Services
Diff -30.5 RPP
Rents
Diff +2.9 RPP
| Category | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 102.7 | 102.6 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 97.3 | 96.8 | -0.5 |
| Services | 144.9 | 114.4 | -30.5 |
| Rents | 110.2 | 113.1 | +2.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 102.7
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 102.6
Goods
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 97.3
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 96.8
Services
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 144.9
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 114.4
Rents
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 110.2
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 113.1
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford would need to be in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington for the same purchasing power:
| In Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford | In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,907 | $-93 |
| $75,000 | $74,860 | $-140 |
| $100,000 | $99,813 | $-187 |
| $150,000 | $149,720 | $-280 |
$ in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford = in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (102.7 → 102.6), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington more expensive than Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford?
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is 0.2% less expensive than Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford. The overall cost index is 102.6 vs 102.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington equals $100K in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford?
A $100,000 salary in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford has the same purchasing power as $99,813 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford and Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington?
Rents in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford are indexed at 110.2 while Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is at 113.1 (national average = 100). Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.