[giantg2]

Yeah, PA gives a small discount too.

It depends on how far someone is willing to downsize. Many 1500sqft single homes in that region are paying about $8k-9k per year in property tax. I guess you could cut that in half if you live in a row home of about 900 sqft. That can be a big lifestyle change depending on one's hobbies (gardening, keeping a classic car, beekeeping, etc may require more space). Not to mention $4k-5k could still be around or over 10% of a retired persons income, or even working families too (Philadelphia has the highest rate of extreme poverty of any city in the US measured as families of 4 making <$12k per year).