Naperville vs Philadelphia
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Naperville edges it, 65 to 64, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Naperville is stronger on internet; Philadelphia on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Affluent Chicago suburb with a riverwalk and Metra trains downtown
Full Naperville profile →Plan a trip to Naperville →Walkable history at East Coast prices minus New York
Full Philadelphia profile →Plan a trip to Philadelphia →Where they differ
- Internet. Naperville leads on internet, 87 to 76, against Philadelphia. Measured download: 109.6 Mbps vs 59.1 Mbps.
- Climate. Philadelphia leads on climate, 42 to 33, against Naperville. Comfortable months: 4 vs 5.
- Getting there & around. Naperville leads on getting there & around, 61 to 54, against Philadelphia. Non-stop airport destinations: 288 vs 130.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Naperville if you want
- faster internet (109.6 Mbps measured)
Pick Philadelphia if you want
- to spend about $31 less a month
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Naperville | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 19 | 19 ✓ |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 87 ✓ | 76 |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 61 ✓ | 54 |
| Climate | 33 | 42 ✓ |
| Air quality | 92 | 95 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Naperville | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,108 | $3,077 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Naperville | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Naperville | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 109.6 Mbps ✓ | 59.1 Mbps |
| Upload | 20.4 Mbps ✓ | 13.6 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Naperville | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Naperville | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 288 ✓ | 130 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 5 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 4 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Naperville | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 5 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8.7 µg/m³ | 7.2 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Naperville or Philadelphia?
- Philadelphia is cheaper: about $3,077 per month versus $3,108 for one person.
- Is Naperville or Philadelphia safer?
- Naperville and Philadelphia score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Naperville or Philadelphia?
- Naperville: a measured median of 109.6 Mbps versus 59.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Naperville vs Boston
- Naperville vs Boulder
- Philadelphia vs Dallas
- Philadelphia vs San Francisco
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.