Philly vs NYC (not mob or sports)

I live in NYC and am about to make a career change that will give me much more freedom to choose where I want to live. I have been looking into Philly. Seems like for less than 225k I can get one of those nice row houses with 3 floors and like 4 bedrooms. That could never happen here. So anyone from philly wanna gimme a comparison? What’s better, what’s worse.. I have a wife and baby daughter, we don’t do much crazy shit. Some good food and neighborhoods where you can walk to delis and markets and get your daily necessities. I think my habits are simple enough where Philly might be a great fit. I don’t care about broadway shows and everything being available at 4:00AM. Are there little delis everywhere? Sometimes I feel like it’s just block after block of row homes with no stores to speak of. That would definitely suck if I was in a densely populated area like that and had to use my car to get a sub and a soda..

I'm not from either but I've spent some time in Philly and a lot in NYC and although I would probably prefer NYC, Philly is great too. I was mostly in West Philly but I've been through the South and North sides and Center City. One thing I would suggest looking into is instead of the traditional rowhomes that you see in Philly, like these



You could look into a slightly different style I saw out there that also has a porch



One thing I will say is I was surprised at how spacious some rowhomes were once you got inside.

Definitely venture out into the neighborhoods and see how they are beforehand. I believe NYC is safer than Philly by a longshot but 9/10 that boils down to what part of town you're in. Just some observations from an outsider here, take it for what it's worth and good luck with your career and family!

Thanks man. Yeah I am kinda falling in love with that rowhome style. It feels so private the way it’s sectioned off inside, and those basements can make a great office or a play room for my daughter. I realize nyc is one of the safest places you can live these days, but I know how to avoid the bad section so I wouldn’t worry much about that shit. I imagine property taxes are lower and with these housing prices there, I could get a cheap mortgage. I think of philly as a mini nyc. I’m just wondering what I’m taking for granted now that I’ll miss if I leave

This is the style I’ve been loving recently. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6018-Spruce-St-Philadelphia-PA-19139/10184524_zpid/

Wow! That's exactly what I mean when I say they can be beautiful on the inside! Funny enough, that's not far from where I stayed when I was out there. Some people think it's a rough area and parts of it are definitely a little run down but I felt more or less safe around there, but I'm a grown man and grew up in a rough area so what I think is intimidating and what a man who also has to consider the safety of his family thinks is intimidating can be two different things. If you're white, you'll be one of the few white folks in the area if that kind of thing bothers you. I'd bet my last dollar that Philly is definitely going to experience heavier gentrification in the coming years, so if I were you I'd snatch that up and maybe even look into a rental property close by if you can swing it. For 180k that place looks incredible!

Being the only white family wouldn’t bother me in and of itself, but there’s usually crime implications that go along with that, so I would have to check. But even if you add 40k or so to the asking price and get a similar house in a better area, it’s still a great deal. Even 250k for a place like that in a decent area is like the deal of a lifetime for a NYer

I wasn't there for very long, but for reference I was actually staying on Spruce, around 52nd St which is a major street. I'm white and was up and down that strip and didn't feel funny about it. My boy and his GF who I was staying with are also white and they say they never felt pressed or anything like that either. Lot of folks seemed hard up but that's every city, I feel like it looks worse than it is. For what it's worth, in North Philly there were dope fiends EVERYWHERE, more than I've ever seen and I've seen my fair share. So the dealers and property crimes can't be far. And in South Philly I saw guys dealing drugs right by Philips Steaks on Passyunk Ave like it was nothing. I'm sure there's activity in West Philly too but I didn't see the brazenness I saw in North and South Philly. Just food for thought, hope it helps.

Fuckin hell. You got all 4 directions covered. Is there anywhere that’s not an open drug den? You said west philly, but wasn’t that supposed to be the bad part?

West Philadelphia is huuuuge. I only saw a couple parts, with 52nd and Spruce being where I spent the most time. Like I said, I'm sure there's activity there but it just wasn't out there in your face like the other parts of town. North Philly has gotta be the worst part of Philly by a longshot, or at least it seemed that way to me. Our Philly posters can give you more of an expansive scope I'm sure. For all I know those blocks that make up the difference between 60th and 52nd could be a big factor. If anything take a trip out there and check it out!

I've never been to New York, but I've been to Philadelphia although it was about 20 years ago. When there, I asked for directions to South Philadelphia so I could see the City's Little Italy ad some places where Rocky was filmed. Locals discouraged me from doing so and stated that there's almost nothing there anymore. Cattivo.