Washington - DC vs Philadelphia - PA: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

Washington - DC is roughly 48% more expensive than Philadelphia - PA in typical home value. Washington - DC sees more listings with price cuts (29.4% vs 26.3%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Washington vs Philadelphia: what the numbers say

At today's 7.24% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $3,107 a month in principal and interest in Washington and $2,105 in Philadelphia, a gap of $1,002 a month.

Typical rent runs $2,407 in Washington and $1,903 in Philadelphia, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.3 times rent in Washington and 1.1 times rent in Philadelphia, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 19.7 years of rent in Washington and 16.9 in Philadelphia; the lower ratio in Philadelphia means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

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

Homes sell for 99.7% of list price in Washington and 100.1% in Philadelphia, after 19 and 15 days on the market, with price cuts on 29% and 26% of listings. All three signs point the same way: buyers have more room to negotiate in Washington.

The number of homes for sale is up 12% on a year ago in Washington and up 9% on a year ago in Philadelphia.

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.