Philadelphia vs San Francisco
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Philadelphia edges it, 64 to 63, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Walkable history at East Coast prices minus New York
Full Philadelphia profile →Plan a trip to Philadelphia →The tech capital, compact and hilly
Full San Francisco profile →Plan a trip to San Francisco →Where they differ
- Cost of living. Philadelphia leads on cost of living, 19 to 14, against San Francisco. Monthly cost, one person: $3,077 vs $3,468.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, air quality, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Philadelphia if you want
- to spend about $391 less a month
Pick San Francisco if you want
- no clear edge over Philadelphia in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Philadelphia | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 19 ✓ | 14 |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 76 ✓ | 76 |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 54 ✓ | 52 |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 95 ✓ | 95 |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Philadelphia | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,077 ✓ | $3,468 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Philadelphia | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Philadelphia | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 59.1 Mbps | 59.7 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 13.6 Mbps ✓ | 11.9 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Philadelphia | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Philadelphia | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 130 | 151 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 ✓ | 4 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Philadelphia | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 7.2 µg/m³ ✓ | 7.4 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Philadelphia or San Francisco?
- Philadelphia is cheaper: about $3,077 per month versus $3,468 for one person.
- Is Philadelphia or San Francisco safer?
- Philadelphia and San Francisco score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Philadelphia or San Francisco?
- San Francisco: a measured median of 59.7 Mbps versus 59.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Philadelphia vs Dallas
- Philadelphia vs Oakland
- San Francisco vs Oakland
- San Francisco vs Dallas
- 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 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.