Philadelphia - PA vs Kansas City - MO: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

Philadelphia - PA is roughly 19% more expensive than Kansas City - MO in typical home value. Kansas City - MO sees more listings with price cuts (31.5% vs 26.3%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Philadelphia vs Kansas City: 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 $1,771 in Kansas City, a gap of $333 a month.

Typical rent runs $1,903 in Philadelphia and $1,534 in Kansas City, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.1 times rent in Philadelphia and 1.2 times rent in Kansas City, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 16.9 years of rent in Philadelphia and 17.6 in Kansas City; the lower ratio in Philadelphia means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved +5.4% in Philadelphia and +6.0% in Kansas City; over just the last three months the change was +0.7% in Philadelphia and +1.1% in Kansas City.

Homes sell for 100.1% of list price in Philadelphia and 100.1% in Kansas City, after 15 and 11 days on the market, with price cuts on 26% and 32% of listings. The signs are mixed: Philadelphia has longer time on the market, while Kansas City has more price cuts.

The number of homes for sale is up 9% on a year ago in Philadelphia and up 1% on a year ago in Kansas City.

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.