Why do people move from the New York metro to the Philadelphia metro?

A StreetEasy analysis of 2024 Zillow search data found Philadelphia is now the most popular destination New Yorkers search for when leaving the city, surpassing Miami, driven largely by cost of living and housing affordability. For buyers targeting Montgomery, Chester, or Delaware County specifically rather than the city itself, the draw compounds with Pennsylvania's flat 3.07% income tax, no automatic property tax reassessment on purchase, and direct rail access back into Manhattan.

How do I commute to New York City from Montgomery County PA?

Amtrak runs 40 or more direct daily departures between New York's Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station and Philadelphia's 30th Street Station, with Acela service as fast as 1 hour 5 minutes. From 30th Street Station, SEPTA Regional Rail connects on to Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware County communities.

What is the cost of living difference between New Jersey and Pennsylvania?

New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the country, with a median around $9,500 or more per year. Pennsylvania's combined state and local income tax (roughly 4% to 4.5% including the mandatory local Earned Income Tax) and generally lower property tax burden in Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties make this one of the most direct cost-of-living improvements available to a relocating New Jersey buyer.

Relocating to Philadelphia, PA From New York/New Jersey

Q: How does Pennsylvania income tax compare to New York?

Pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% state income tax plus a local Earned Income Tax set by municipality and school district, typically 1% to 1.5% in Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties. The honest combined total runs roughly 4% to 4.5%. Even with that included, a New York City resident earning $200,000 still pays substantially more in combined state and city income tax than the same income here.

Your Situation → Relocating → New York & New Jersey

Chester County PA
Delaware County PA
Montgomery County PA
New Castle County DE

Why do people move from the New York metro to here?

A StreetEasy analysis of 2024 Zillow search data found Philadelphia is now the most popular destination New Yorkers search for when leaving the city — surpassing Miami — driven largely by cost of living and housing affordability. That's the trend at scale; your own reasons — a job change, family, a health situation, or just wanting something different — may look nothing like the statistic, and that's fine. The numbers below are useful either way.

But "moving to Philadelphia" and moving to this region aren't the same search. Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and New Castle counties are a different proposition than city living: more space, direct rail access back into Manhattan, and a regional economy that doesn't require staying tied to a New York job at all. New York and New Jersey both have real subway and transit systems — driving in and around them is famously difficult, and traffic is a daily fact of life. What you're trading for lower cost and more room is the density itself: the walkability, restaurants, museums, and culture that come with a subway-and-sidewalk city. That's a real trade, not a one-sided upgrade.

But one more thing…

Are you comparing "Philadelphia" the city to what you actually want, or did the search just default there?
Do you know what your New York property tax bill would look like against ours — not just income tax?
If you're keeping your New York job, have you actually timed the commute at the hours you'd be doing it?

How Do I Commute to New York City From Here?

Amtrak runs 40 or more direct daily departures between New York's Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station and Philadelphia's 30th Street Station — Acela in as little as 1 hour 5 minutes, Northeast Regional around 1 hour 25 minutes, fares starting around $19–25 one-way. From 30th Street Station, SEPTA Regional Rail connects on to Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware County communities — specifically the Paoli/Thorndale Line into Chester County and the Main Line, the Lansdale/Doylestown Line into Montgomery County, and the Media/Wawa Line into Delaware County.

Amtrak also stops directly in Wilmington, Delaware — a separate, often-overlooked station that puts New Castle County and southern Chester County within direct reach, without requiring a Philadelphia transfer at all, via SEPTA's Wilmington/Newark Line.

Rail isn't the only option, either. I-95 and the broader interstate network connect this region directly to New York and New Jersey by car, and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is a major domestic and international hub — a real advantage if you're flying back for work, or getting family and friends here to visit.

How Does Pennsylvania Income Tax Compare to New York?

Pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% state income tax — but that's not the whole picture. Every PA resident also owes a local Earned Income Tax (EIT) set by their municipality and school district, with no opt-out. In Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties, combined local EIT typically runs 1%–1.5%, bringing the honest total to roughly 4%–4.5% for most residents in this region. Even accounting for that, the comparison still holds clearly: a New York City resident earning $200,000 pays roughly $17,000/year in combined New York state and city income tax; the same income here, including local EIT, lands closer to $8,000–$9,000/year. New Jersey doesn't carry NYC's added city tax, but its state income tax runs progressive up to 10.75% at the top bracket, still well above Pennsylvania's combined rate.

What About Property Taxes — Is This Actually Cheaper?

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New Jersey

Highest property taxes in the country — median around $9,500+/year, some counties averaging close to 2% effective rate. Often the single strongest financial argument to move, stronger than income tax.

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New York

Uneven — statewide effective rate ~1.55%, but NYC itself sits artificially low (~0.9%) while Westchester and Long Island run 1.6%+ and upstate can exceed 2.5–3%. A Manhattan owner and a Westchester homeowner see different pictures.

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Here

Montgomery County's effective rate runs around 1.25%, near the PA state average. Chester and Delaware run somewhat higher (Delaware County ~1.67%).

Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties don't automatically reset your assessed value to the purchase price at sale, and don't run an annual reassessment cycle. But it's not risk-free — school districts here do routinely file "spot reassessment" appeals on recently sold homes when the sale price significantly exceeds the current assessed value, which can raise the tax bill starting the following year. Worth budgeting for as a possibility, not promising it won't happen.

What Is the Realty Transfer Tax, and Who Pays It?

A closing cost worth knowing about upfront: Pennsylvania's Realty Transfer Tax runs around 2% of the sale price in most of our suburban counties (well below Philadelphia's 4%+), and it's traditionally split 50/50 between buyer and seller unless negotiated otherwise. On a $500,000 home, that's roughly $5,000 typically split $2,500 each.

Cost of Living Snapshot

	Here	New York Metro	New Jersey
Median home price	~$350K–$556K depending on county	~$700K+	~$570K statewide
State + local income tax	~4–4.5% combined	4%–10.9% + NYC city tax	1.4%–10.75%
Effective property tax	~1.25% (Montgomery)	~0.9%–3%+	~1.9%–2.1%+
Sales tax	6% (0% in New Castle County)	4% + up to 4.875% NYC	6.625%

Figures are general reference points current as of 2026 — confirm before publish, and verify your own numbers with independent calculators (Tax Foundation, SmartAsset). We're happy to walk through your specific numbers directly — but wanted you to have somewhere to check our math first.

What Industries Are Here — Will I Need to Keep My New York Job?

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Pharma & Life Sciences

One of the largest biotech/pharmaceutical clusters in the country, along the Route 202/Great Valley corridor.

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Finance

Vanguard headquartered in Malvern, Chester County. Wilmington is also a major banking center, giving New Castle County its own real finance presence.

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Software & Technology

SAP and Bentley Systems both have a major regional presence.

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Chemical & Refining

Delaware County carries an active industrial base — Evonik, Braskem, and refining around Marcus Hook.

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Manufacturing

An estimated 18,000+ manufacturing jobs in Chester County alone.

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Healthcare

Multiple major health systems — Penn Medicine, Jefferson Health, Main Line Health.

Schools & Higher Education

Strong public school districts anchor most of the communities here — district boundaries matter more than ZIP codes, and two homes on the same street can fall in different districts with real value implications. A range of private and parochial school options is also available. Higher education runs deep locally: West Chester University and Delaware County Community College on the public side; Villanova, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore among private and independent institutions; the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel a short distance away in Philadelphia; and the University of Delaware in nearby Newark.

Living Here — Not Just a Cheaper Commute

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The Poconos

About 1.5–2 hours away — lakes and skiing without a full day's drive.

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The Jersey Shore

Roughly 1–1.5 hours to the closer towns, about 2.5 hours to Cape May.

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National History

Independence Hall and Valley Forge inside or just outside Philadelphia; Gettysburg about 1.5–2 hours west.

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Regional Sports Culture

Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers — a genuinely regional, not just city, fan base.

But one more thing…

A lower tax bill and a shorter train ride don't answer whether the place itself fits how you actually want to live. That's worth a real conversation, not a spreadsheet.

Common Questions From New York & New Jersey Buyers

Yes, though it's a real commute, not a light one — typically buyers doing this are either fully rail-based commuters willing to spend 2-3 hours round trip, or more commonly hybrid workers in the office 1-2 days a week. It's a realistic pattern for the right role, not the norm for most buyers relocating from New York.

Yes. Amtrak stops directly in Wilmington, Delaware, putting New Castle County and southern Chester County within direct reach without a Philadelphia transfer. New Castle County also has no sales tax, a notable difference from both New York and New Jersey.

Not automatically. In Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties, assessed values are not reset to the purchase price at sale and are not reassessed on an annual cycle. However, school districts in these counties do routinely file spot reassessment appeals on recently sold homes when the sale price significantly exceeds the current assessed value, which can raise the tax bill the following year.

Pennsylvania's Realty Transfer Tax runs around 2% of the sale price in most suburban counties, well below Philadelphia's 4% or more, and is traditionally split 50/50 between buyer and seller unless negotiated otherwise.

New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the country, with a median around $9,500 or more per year. Pennsylvania's combined state and local income tax and generally lower property tax burden in Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties make this one of the most direct cost-of-living improvements available to a relocating New Jersey buyer.

The region supports a diverse regional economy including a major pharmaceutical and biotech cluster, a finance sector anchored by Vanguard's headquarters in Malvern and Wilmington's banking presence, active software/tech employers like SAP and Bentley Systems, an active chemical and refining industrial base in Delaware County, an estimated 18,000 or more manufacturing jobs in Chester County, multiple major health systems, and a dense concentration of colleges and universities.

The region has strong public school districts, with private and parochial school options also widely available. Higher education includes public institutions like West Chester University and Delaware County Community College, private institutions like Villanova, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore, and nearby access to the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, and the University of Delaware.

Everything on this page is real and checkable — but it's also exactly the kind of thing that's easy to miss researching on your own. Local Earned Income Tax rates vary by township. School districts can file spot reassessment appeals your Zillow search won't show you. Realty Transfer Tax splits are negotiable, not fixed. These factors may or may not surface during your own initial research — that's normal, not a failure on your part. Local, on-the-ground advice is what actually helps you navigate and understand the area, not just the numbers.

Tell Us Your Situation

Coming from New York or New Jersey and want a real conversation, not a sales pitch? Start here.