Living in Philly
02-16-2026 | 05:22 AM
#11
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Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 303
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As for taxes:
Living in Philly, you get hit with 3.74% city wage tax (regardless if your employer is in or out of the city) and 3.07% state income tax, so that's 6.81% income tax combined.
NJ income tax is 6.37% for incomes between $75K and $500K. If you're a new hire pilot or even senior one, you probably fall into this range.
In Philly, you also pay 8% retail tax on any goods/services purchased (except groceries and clothing). In NJ, the retail tax is 6.625% (groceries and clothing also exempt)
If you plan on owning a home, NJ will get you on real estate taxes but they can vary widely and it's hard to do an apples to apples comparison of a suburban NJ home to a center city apartment/condo.
If you plan to raise a family, you don't want to be in Philly anyway unless you're paying a premium on private schools which negates any of those tax comparisons.
Corruption? Ha! I would say Philly has its own share of corruption going on.
IF you want to go just below the state line in Delaware, you'll have 0% sales tax on anything, so there's that.
02-18-2026 | 05:53 AM
#12
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Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 1,189
Likes: 24
I've lived in both Philly Center City and South Jersey 25 minutes from the bridge. Pros and cons to each. If you have a car, that should weigh on your decision for the parking aspect.
As for taxes:
Living in Philly, you get hit with 3.74% city wage tax (regardless if your employer is in or out of the city) and 3.07% state income tax, so that's 6.81% income tax combined.
NJ income tax is 6.37% for incomes between $75K and $500K. If you're a new hire pilot or even senior one, you probably fall into this range.
In Philly, you also pay 8% retail tax on any goods/services purchased (except groceries and clothing). In NJ, the retail tax is 6.625% (groceries and clothing also exempt)
If you plan on owning a home, NJ will get you on real estate taxes but they can vary widely and it's hard to do an apples to apples comparison of a suburban NJ home to a center city apartment/condo.
If you plan to raise a family, you don't want to be in Philly anyway unless you're paying a premium on private schools which negates any of those tax comparisons.
Corruption? Ha! I would say Philly has its own share of corruption going on.
IF you want to go just below the state line in Delaware, you'll have 0% sales tax on anything, so there's that.
As for taxes:
Living in Philly, you get hit with 3.74% city wage tax (regardless if your employer is in or out of the city) and 3.07% state income tax, so that's 6.81% income tax combined.
NJ income tax is 6.37% for incomes between $75K and $500K. If you're a new hire pilot or even senior one, you probably fall into this range.
In Philly, you also pay 8% retail tax on any goods/services purchased (except groceries and clothing). In NJ, the retail tax is 6.625% (groceries and clothing also exempt)
If you plan on owning a home, NJ will get you on real estate taxes but they can vary widely and it's hard to do an apples to apples comparison of a suburban NJ home to a center city apartment/condo.
If you plan to raise a family, you don't want to be in Philly anyway unless you're paying a premium on private schools which negates any of those tax comparisons.
Corruption? Ha! I would say Philly has its own share of corruption going on.
IF you want to go just below the state line in Delaware, you'll have 0% sales tax on anything, so there's that.
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