Philadelphia - PA vs Cincinnati - OH: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

Philadelphia - PA is roughly 26% more expensive than Cincinnati - OH in typical home value. Cincinnati - OH sees more listings with price cuts (32.7% vs 26.3%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Philadelphia vs Cincinnati: what the numbers say

At today's 7.24% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $2,105 a month in principal and interest in Philadelphia and $1,668 in Cincinnati, a gap of $437 a month.

Typical rent runs $1,903 in Philadelphia and $1,522 in Cincinnati, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.1 times rent in Philadelphia and 1.1 times rent in Cincinnati, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 16.9 years of rent in Philadelphia and 16.8 in Cincinnati; the lower ratio in Cincinnati means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved +5.4% in Philadelphia and +5.0% in Cincinnati; over just the last three months the change was +0.7% in Philadelphia and +0.3% in Cincinnati.

Homes sell for 100.1% of list price in Philadelphia and 99.1% in Cincinnati, after 15 and 11 days on the market, with price cuts on 26% and 33% of listings. The signs are mixed: Philadelphia has longer time on the market, while Cincinnati has more price cuts and sales further below list.

The number of homes for sale is up 9% on a year ago in Philadelphia and up 8% on a year ago in Cincinnati.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-29), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.