Apartments for rent in Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia is perhaps best known for its history, especially with respect to its key role in the American Revolution. It was one of the earlier major cities in the American colonies, and many key events took place in the city, including the first Continental Congress and signing of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, Philadelphia served as the U.S. capital city while Washington, D.C. was being built. Today, Philadelphia is commonly known for Philly cheesesteaks, Rocky Balboa, the Liberty Bell and some of the country's most raucous sports fans.

Yes, slowly. The Philadelphia metropolitan area grew by about 18,000 people, or about 0.3 percent, between 2017 and 2018, according to U.S. Census data. It's been growing slightly every year since 2006, following a nearly 30-year streak of population loss. The Philadelphia metro area currently has about six million residents.

Philadelphia came in 171 out of 182 cities in WalletHub's report on Safest Cities in America. It scored very well with regards to natural disasters, but low financial safety, as well as home and community safety, knock it down a bit on the list.

Philadelphia's school system isn't as strong as many in similar-sized cities, but if you're careful you can still find great public schools. It has 59 high schools that ranked on U.S. News & World Report's Best High School rankings and seven colleges and universities that made their Best Colleges rankings.

Philadelphia has many great family-friendly neighborhoods with great access to culture, history, good schools and parks to play in. While it was rated as somewhat worse than average according to WalletHub's ranking of best cities for families in the U.S., that list gave the city high marks for health, safety and education. The downside is that it's not a very affordable place to live.

The Constitutional Walking Tour and museums like the Philadelphia Museum of Art (also known as the stairs from Rocky) are a must-see. The Reading Terminal Market is a great farmers' market, or if you'd prefer something more outdoors, the Schuylkill River trail gives you 10 miles' worth of walking and other random activities in the city. Catching a Phillies, '76ers, Eagles or Flyers game has to rank highly on any list of things to do in Philly. Though it's touristy and locals will tell you overrated, testing who makes the better cheesesteak, Geno's or Pat's, is a time-honored tradition.

Philadelphia is a bit more expensive than average. According to the Council of Community and Economic Research , the average cost of living here is 13 percent higher than the national average.

The average studio apartment in Philadelphia costs $1,426 a month, the average one-bedroom is $1,968 a month and the average two-bedroom is $2,616 a month.

The average monthly energy cost in Philadelphia, electric, gas and other sources combined, is about $184 a month according to the Council for Community and Economic Research , which is much higher than the national average.

As the name indicates, University City is home to the University of Pennsylvania and is one of the more popular areas for younger renters. Chestnut Hill is an affluent, quiet neighborhood to the north of the city with a number of trendy restaurants. South Philadelphia is the home to some of the most recognizably "Philly" places, from the sports teams to the most renowned cheesesteak joints, and West Philadelphia is a large, diverse neighborhood with just about any type of home, shop or restaurant you'd want to go looking for.

History is all around you in Philadelphia in a way that many U.S. cities don't have, so get used to running across important historical landmarks and a great number of museums documenting that history. Philly also has the feel of being a large college town, with its "Big 5" universities (Temple, Villanova, St. Joseph's, Penn and La Salle) located in and around the city. There's also a city income tax, which can be a burden, and buying alcohol is a bit of an issue, since beer and liquor are only sold in dedicated stores, which might come as a shock to out-of-state transplants. Also, it's not "Downtown," it's "Center City." You'll thank us later for that.

You might not, depending on where you live and work. The primary public transit agency, SEPTA, provides a pretty good bus and train network that covers a lot of the city. PATCO runs trains from several stations along Locust and Market Streets to Camden and the suburbs across the river in New Jersey. And much of Philadelphia is walkable or bikeable to begin with. You can also take commuter train trips up and down the Atlantic seaboard to the other big cities of the region such as New York, D.C. and Boston without needing to drive. New Jersey Transit offers train service from Philadelphia to Atlantic City, which is an easy way to go down the shore to enjoy the ocean, boardwalk and casinos.

Philadelphia has a temperate climate. Spring and fall are mild, winter is moderately cold and summer is hot and humid. Snowfall varies greatly, with major storms some years and little snowfall in others.