Report: Philly Both Outrageously Expensive, Very Affordable

If you told some Philadelphians that this is the most expensive place to live in the country, they’d probably agree. If you told others that the city’s actually really affordable, they’d probably agree too. Turns out they’re both right! A new report from the Center for Neighborhood Technology says the average cost burden of housing and transportation in the Philadelphia region is about 52 percent of income for most moderate-income households—the second lowest average of the 25 metro areas studied in the report. But in some parts of the region—mostly those parts without great access to SEPTA trains and other public transit—housing and transportation together can eat up to 90 percent of the income of a moderate-income household, which would be one of the highest rates measured. “In these (cheaper) neighborhoods, households are able to meet many of their daily needs with shorter car trips and even without the use of automobiles, thereby enabling them to own fewer vehicles and significantly reduce their transportation burdens,” the report says. And hey, it’s Philly. Why would you want to go anywhere else? [Curbed Philadelphia]