It’s no longer a secret – Philadelphia is a great place to live. We get a lot of inquiries from people looking to move to Philadelphia, and more recently, people moving from New York to Philadelphia. We thought it would be helpful to compile a list of resources for those looking to move to the city.
1. Select Philly Neighborhood
First, Philadelphia has a lot of neighborhoods. You need to decide which Philadelphia neighborhood you want to live in. This will depend on what you want to achieve from your lifestyle as well as your budget. For example, do you want to be closer to a workplace? Do you want more open spaces?
Resource: Philly Neighborhood Picker (10-minute read estimate)
2.ย Understand Rental Costs
Apartment costs in Philly differ based on the neighborhood you choose to live in. Typically, the average monthly rent cost of a one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartment in Philly is around $1,385 and $1,692 respectively.
Resource: 1 Bedroom Costs | 2 Bedroom Costsย (3 minutes read each estimate)
3. Consider Historical Crime Rates By Neighborhood
While no area is free of crime and no one can guarantee safety, crime can be measured historically, and should at least be considered generally. The Philadelphia Inquirer tracks crime rates throughout the City over the last 30 days. Check it out and compare. Do your own research as well. * The crime rate in many neighborhoods in NE Philly is generally speaking, as of the date this article was first written, lower than many other parts of the city.
Resource: Philadelphia Inquirer Crime in Philadelphia Tracker *
4. Consider Parking Costs
Only about 20% of apartment buildings in Philly have on-site parking. Therefore, if you will have a car it is important to consider and budget for parking costs. You can get parking costs comparisons in the Neighborhood Picker Resource above, but the resource below also explains Philly Parking a little more. Average parking cost is around $150+ per car per month.
Resource: Parking in Philadelphia (5-minute read estimate)
5. Check Out Philly Parking Program
We need to help you out here. Even though apartment parking can be expensive, Philadelphia’s innovative residential parking permit program, can save you thousands of dollars a year. This parking program essentially allows residents (that includes renters), parking at a mere fraction of the cost of your apartment or garage.
Resource: Residential Parking Permits (7-minute read estimate)
6. Find an Apartment
Now that you have an idea of how much to pay, it is time to start looking at apartment listing websites like apartments.com, apartmentguide.com and Zillow.com. These will give you more in-depth information about apartments for rent in the neighborhoods you are interested in. You can also do a Google search for “Apartments in {Neighborhood}” to get more listings that are available online.
Resource: Apartments.com, ApartmentGuide.com, Zillow.com
7. Find a Good Mover in Philly
A good place to start is online on Yelp. A local mover will be able to get all your stuff into your apartment without too much trouble.
Resource: Yelp Top Movers and How to Find Reliable Movers, and Out of State Move Questions
8. Check With Comcast For Entertainment Packages
Headquartered in Philly, Comcast is a popular entertainment choice in the city. In fact, most buildings are Comcast enabled. And while there may be a local rep for the building, it is also worth checking around and comparing prices.
Resource: Comcast.com
9. Get Renter’s Insurance Prices
You will want to make sure you get good renter’s insurance prices by calling local reputable insurance agents who can help you find a good deal to protect your belongings.
Resource: Statefarm.com, Nationwide.com, Allstate.com
10. Get an Official Philly Driver’s License
If you move to Philly, you are expected to get an official state driver’s license within 60 days of establishing residency. You are usually required to surrender your driver’s license issued out of the state (whether valid or expired in the last six months or less) before you get your official Philadelphia Driver’s License.
Resource: Getting Official PA Drive License
11. Update Title and Registration for an Out of State Vehicle
If your car is from out of Philly, you are required to apply for a PA vehicle title and registration within 20 days of establishing local residency. You will need to have a valid ID from Pennsylvania to successfully apply for the title and registration in the state.
Resource: Getting PA Vehicle Title and Registration
12. Familiarize yourself with SEPTA
Philadelphia also has an amazing top-rated public transportation system. If you won’t have a car or just want to supplement car usage, learn more about Philly’s SEPTA transportation system.
Resource: How Transit Friendly is Philadelphia
Use these tips and resources to help ensure a seamless move to Philadelphia.
*you should do your own research for historical crime rates as well. do not rely on any one data source.
