Overall
- Medford
- 101.4
Diff -1.1 RPP
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington vs Medford
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Medford is 1.1% less expensive than Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington.
1.1% less expensive
Medford, OR is 1.1% less expensive than Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 101.4 vs 102.6). A $100,000 salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington buys about the same as $98,907 in Medford; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 102.6 (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington) vs 101.4 (Medford)
- $100k in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington ≈ $98,907 purchasing power in Medford
- Rents drives the gap (-15.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair PA:OR 102.6→101.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE PA × OR
- 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.
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
102.6
Cost Index
Medford
101.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD and Medford, OR are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Medford is 15.5 points lower. But goods 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 housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington corresponds to $98,907 in Medford.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Medford
- 105.3
Diff +8.4 RPP
Services
- Medford
- 102.3
Diff -12.1 RPP
Rents
- Medford
- 97.7
Diff -15.5 RPP
| Category | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | Medford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 102.6 | 101.4 | -1.1 |
| Goods | 96.8 | 105.3 | +8.4 |
| Services | 114.4 | 102.3 | -12.1 |
| Rents | 113.1 | 97.7 | -15.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 102.6
Medford 101.4
Goods
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 96.8
Medford 105.3
Services
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 114.4
Medford 102.3
Rents
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 113.1
Medford 97.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington would need to be in Medford for the same purchasing power:
| In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | In Medford | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,453 | $-547 |
| $75,000 | $74,180 | $-820 |
| $100,000 | $98,907 | $-1,093 |
| $150,000 | $148,360 | $-1,640 |
$ in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington = in Medford
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (102.6 → 101.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medford more expensive than Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington?
Medford is 1.1% less expensive than Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington. The overall cost index is 101.4 vs 102.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Medford equals $100K in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington?
A $100,000 salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington has the same purchasing power as $98,907 in Medford. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington and Medford?
Rents in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington are indexed at 113.1 while Medford is at 97.7 (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.