Philly is cheap and we are getting more start ups. There are a lot of tech jobs though, but the downside (for some) is that many are in the suburbs either on the main line or in New Jersey, and I don't think that will change much until the city business problem tax is lowered.
I think the business and wage tax are putting a dampener on growth, but they haven't prevented the city from still putting on tech jobs. If you don't mind the wage tax I knew lots of people who did reverse commutes and they worked out well. I think of any city I have lived in philly is right on the cusp of being the next breakout place to be. Its a great city with amazing cultural institutions, the best food scene on the east coast, low cost of living, a lot of great educational institutions to churn out talent and a pretty good regional transit system. If they can fix their governance issues and attract some more capital willing to lead big rounds I think they could hold their own against NYC and boston
Only thing keeping me from moving into Philly is the wage tax. I think within the next year I'm just going to bite the bullet and do it.
Just negotiate that factor into whatever salary you get. I feel like firms in the city proper realize they need to add a couple thousand to compete with suburban firms