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Before you read the numbers: these estimates assume every home is rent-ready. ApriFind doesn't have condition data yet, so repairs needed to reach these rents are not included, and the cheapest homes are the most likely to need them. Property tax uses Philadelphia's 2025 effective rate for rental (investor-owned) property (1.21%), from the Lincoln Institute. See What these numbers assume.
Philadelphia is a rowhouse city, and its rowhouses carry most of its rental returns. Its tax rate on rental property is also one of the lowest among the top cash-flow cities in our data. In our ranking of the 50 largest US metros, it had the seventh-highest share of listings with positive cash flow. We ran every active for-sale listing in the city through ApriFind on October 9, 2026 and analyzed 5,619 properties, each with a rent estimate built from nearby comparable rentals.
Key takeaways
- 28% of listings show positive cash flow with 20% down at a 7% mortgage rate. The median listing is negative (−$445 per month), with a 4.4% median cap rate.
- North, West, and Southwest Philadelphia lead: in 19132, 19142, 19140, 19139, and 19134, 59–73% of listings cash-flow on paper, at median prices of $132,000–$185,000.
- Rowhouses do most of the work. They're 74% of listings, and 32% of them cash-flow at a $254,900 median price. Small multi-family buildings do better (42%), but there are far fewer of them (501 listings).
- Price is the dividing line. 97% of listings under $100,000 cash-flow on paper, against 14% at $200,000–$300,000. Those cheapest homes are also the most likely to need significant repairs.
- Cash flow comes with location risk. 91% of cash-flowing listings are in neighborhoods with an Apri Score of 6–10 (10 = weakest). In 1–3 areas, only 4% of listings cash-flow.
Returns by ZIP code
ZIP codes with at least 40 analyzed listings, ranked by the share with positive cash flow.
| ZIP | Listings | Median price | Median est. rent | Median cap rate | Median monthly cash flow | Listings that cash-flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19132 | 229 | $132,000 | $1,500 | 8.3% | $235 | 73% |
| 19142 | 131 | $149,900 | $1,650 | 8.3% | $245 | 72% |
| 19140 | 149 | $174,000 | $1,612 | 7.6% | $155 | 65% |
| 19139 | 217 | $185,000 | $1,738 | 7.1% | $132 | 63% |
| 19134 | 346 | $139,950 | $1,450 | 7.5% | $129 | 59% |
| 19133 | 107 | $205,000 | $1,588 | 6.9% | $69 | 56% |
| 19138 | 100 | $198,000 | $1,800 | 6.4% | −$2 | 50% |
| 19104 | 138 | $315,000 | $2,500 | 6.3% | −$41 | 49% |
| 19141 | 90 | $229,000 | $1,800 | 6.2% | −$30 | 46% |
| 19131 | 155 | $199,900 | $1,862 | 5.9% | −$84 | 45% |
| 19144 | 128 | $237,450 | $1,922 | 5.5% | −$150 | 43% |
| 19124 | 165 | $205,500 | $1,725 | 5.7% | −$121 | 41% |
| 19143 | 232 | $227,000 | $1,750 | 5.9% | −$100 | 40% |
| 19121 | 331 | $325,000 | $2,200 | 5.5% | −$224 | 36% |
| 19120 | 132 | $225,000 | $1,700 | 5.3% | −$206 | 30% |
| 19135 | 100 | $229,900 | $1,773 | 5.1% | −$232 | 30% |
| 19145 | 181 | $285,000 | $2,000 | 4.8% | −$382 | 28% |
| 19151 | 81 | $250,000 | $1,738 | 5.0% | −$283 | 25% |
| 19136 | 90 | $250,000 | $1,800 | 4.9% | −$299 | 18% |
| 19148 | 203 | $299,900 | $2,000 | 4.3% | −$531 | 14% |
| 19119 | 62 | $507,000 | $2,324 | 2.5% | −$1,428 | 8% |
| 19122 | 131 | $399,990 | $2,272 | 3.2% | −$934 | 8% |
| 19146 | 249 | $474,900 | $2,278 | 3.0% | −$1,332 | 7% |
| 19149 | 120 | $260,000 | $1,800 | 4.5% | −$415 | 4% |
| 19150 | 49 | $299,900 | $1,875 | 4.3% | −$480 | 4% |
| 19123 | 156 | $585,000 | $2,750 | 1.9% | −$2,059 | 3% |
| 19154 | 41 | $339,900 | $2,114 | 3.9% | −$669 | 2% |
| 19111 | 102 | $319,900 | $1,825 | 3.6% | −$743 | 2% |
| 19114 | 58 | $318,500 | $2,114 | 3.3% | −$774 | 2% |
| 19128 | 124 | $399,500 | $2,300 | 3.3% | −$988 | 2% |
| 19115 | 63 | $395,000 | $2,259 | 3.3% | −$966 | 2% |
| 19152 | 69 | $349,900 | $2,150 | 3.5% | −$764 | 1% |
| 19147 | 173 | $624,900 | $2,892 | 2.2% | −$1,963 | 1% |
| 19130 | 108 | $454,500 | $2,034 | 2.0% | −$1,778 | 1% |
| 19125 | 219 | $445,000 | $2,200 | 2.4% | −$1,522 | 0% |
| 19103 | 159 | $545,000 | $2,420 | 0.6% | −$2,688 | 0% |
| 19107 | 75 | $379,000 | $2,073 | 1.2% | −$1,762 | 0% |
| 19116 | 52 | $420,000 | $2,128 | 3.0% | −$1,218 | 0% |
| 19106 | 80 | $465,000 | $2,488 | 0.6% | −$2,169 | 0% |
| 19102 | 46 | $687,000 | $2,595 | -0.7% | −$4,360 | 0% |
19104, around the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel, breaks the usual price pattern: almost half of its listings cash-flow at a $315,000 median price, with rents that reflect demand near campus. In Center City (19102, 19103, 19106, and 19107), almost none do.
Returns by property type and price
| Property type | Listings | Median price | Median est. rent | Median cap rate | Listings that cash-flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowhouse / townhouse | 4,164 | $254,900 | $1,822 | 4.8% | 32% |
| Condo | 703 | $365,000 | $2,067 | 1.5% | 1% |
| Multi-family (whole building) | 501 | $409,400 | $3,356 | 5.9% | 42% |
| Single family | 251 | $455,000 | $2,200 | 2.8% | 13% |
| Price range | Listings | Median est. rent | Median cap rate | Listings that cash-flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $100,000 | 264 | $1,426 | 13.3% | 97% |
| $100,000–$200,000 | 1,312 | $1,675 | 7.7% | 74% |
| $200,000–$300,000 | 1,583 | $1,800 | 4.7% | 14% |
| $300,000 and up | 2,460 | $2,458 | 2.7% | 6% |
How to sense-check multi-family. A typical Philadelphia multi-family listing was built around 1925, with 4 bedrooms in total, listed at about $410,000. Its estimated rent, about $3,360 a month for the building, compares with a $1,695 median asking rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Philadelphia. The cost side is less certain. Our standard assumptions don't include owner-paid utilities, and in older small multi-family buildings the owner often pays water and sewer. Older buildings also tend to cost more to insure and maintain. With $150 a month of owner-paid utilities, insurance at 1% of the price instead of 0.5%, 10% vacancy, and 15% maintenance, the share of multi-family listings that cash-flow falls from 42% to 15%.
Returns by Apri Score (neighborhood rating)
The Apri Score is ApriFind's proprietary 1-to-10 neighborhood rating, built from census-level socioeconomic data including income, education, employment, and housing quality. It compares each neighborhood with others in the same state: 1 is among the strongest, 10 among the weakest. ApriFind shows it on every listing and as a map layer. It's built to show, before you make an offer, whether a high return comes with a weaker location. See the Apri Score for every listing in any city.
| Apri Score | Share of listings | Median price | Median est. rent | Median cap rate | Median monthly cash flow | Listings that cash-flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 (strongest) | 27% | $479,900 | $2,350 | 2.1% | −$1,619 | 4% |
| 4–7 | 27% | $315,000 | $1,995 | 3.9% | −$647 | 13% |
| 8–10 (weakest) | 46% | $219,900 | $1,750 | 6.0% | −$73 | 44% |
Based on the 4,761 listings with an Apri Score.
Most of Philadelphia's cash flow is in its weakest neighborhoods. 46% of listings are in Apri Score 8–10 areas, and 44% of those cash-flow on paper, against 4% in 1–3 areas. Of all the listings that cash-flow, 9% are in areas scoring 1–5.
That's the trade-off a high cap rate can hide. Weaker areas can mean more tenant turnover, longer vacancies, more collection problems, older housing, and slower appreciation, while these figures assume the same 5% vacancy everywhere. If you want cash flow without buying in the weakest areas, the middle band is where to look: 161 listings in Apri Score 4–7 areas showed positive cash flow.
Philadelphia asking rents by bedrooms
Median asking rent for single-family and townhouse rentals on the market:
| Bedrooms | Median asking rent | Rentals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,200 | 125 |
| 2 | $1,500 | 280 |
| 3 | $1,700 | 377 |
| 4 | $2,500 | 127 |
| 5+ | $3,050 | 50 |
What these numbers assume
1. Every home is rent-ready. Rent estimates come from comparable rentals currently on the market, which are homes in rentable condition. ApriFind doesn't have condition data yet. A home that needs a roof, a furnace, or a full renovation won't earn these rents until the work is done, and the cost of that work is not included in these returns. This matters most for the cheapest listings: the 97% cash-flow rate under $100,000 describes those homes after they're rent-ready. Budget for an inspection and repairs before relying on any of these numbers.
2. Property tax uses Philadelphia's rate for rental property. We use 1.21%, the Lincoln Institute's 2025 effective tax rate for rental (investor-owned) property in Philadelphia (source). Your parcel's actual bill can differ. If taxes were half a point higher, 24% of listings would still cash-flow; a full point higher, 21%.
3. Rent estimates are estimates. Rent estimates are based on asking rents from comparable rental listings nearby, which can run above what tenants ultimately sign for. Check them against local leasing evidence before relying on them.
4. Financing and expenses. 20% down, 7.0% 30-year fixed mortgage, 5% vacancy, 10% property management, 10% maintenance reserve, insurance, and HOA dues where listed.
5. Some listings are excluded. We left out 340 listings priced far below comparable homes nearby, or whose estimated rent was far above what similar listings nearby earn (often shells, auction starting bids, or restricted units), along with vacant land. This "Verify condition" flag is a rough filter: it can't detect a property's actual condition, so homes needing major work remain in these figures.
Methodology
All active for-sale listings with a Philadelphia, PA address on October 9, 2026, analyzed with ApriFind. Each property's rent comes from ApriFind's proprietary rent model, which considers comparable rentals nearby and how closely they match on factors including location, property type, size, bedrooms, bathrooms, and age. Multi-family rent is the estimated rent for the whole building. Cap rate is net operating income divided by price; cash flow is rent minus all costs including the mortgage.
Listings change daily. Search Philadelphia on ApriFind to see today's listings with your own down payment, rate, tax rate, and expense assumptions.
FAQ
Is Philadelphia a good place to buy a rental property in 2026? In our October 2026 analysis, 28% of active Philadelphia listings showed positive cash flow at 20% down and 7% interest, the seventh-highest share among the main cities of the 50 largest US metros. Those numbers assume rent-ready homes, and many of the cheapest listings need repairs, so inspection and renovation costs decide whether a specific property works.
What is the property tax rate on a Philadelphia rental property? The Lincoln Institute's 2025 study puts Philadelphia's effective tax rate on rental (investor-owned) property at 1.21% of market value. A specific parcel's bill can differ.
What is the average cap rate in Philadelphia? The median cap rate across 5,619 active listings was 4.4%, from about 8.3% in 19132 to −0.7% in 19102.
Are Philadelphia's cash-flowing rentals in weaker neighborhoods? Mostly, yes. In our October 2026 data, 91% of listings with positive cash flow were in areas with an Apri Score of 6–10, ApriFind's 1-to-10 neighborhood rating where 10 is weakest. In Apri Score 1–3 areas, 4% of listings cash-flowed, at a median cap rate of 2.1%.
Which Philadelphia ZIP codes have the best rental returns? 19132, 19142, and 19140 had the highest share of listings with positive cash flow (65–73%), with median prices between $132,000 and $174,000.
ApriFind provides informational tools only and does not provide investment, financial, legal, or tax advice. Figures are estimates from listing data on one date; actual results vary.