The best suburb of Philadelphia depends on what you need most. A family focused on schools, a couple who wants to walk to dinner and take the train, and a buyer who wants an acre of privacy will each land in a different town. This guide sorts the suburbs Karen knows best by the five priorities buyers bring to her most often, with typical home values and a link to a full guide for each town.
All home values are Zillow’s typical single-family value for each town’s ZIP code in August 2026, rounded.
Walkable towns with a train station
These towns have a real main street and regional rail within walking distance of many homes.
| Town | Typical home | Why buyers choose it |
|---|---|---|
| Narberth | About $1.06 million | A compact borough with shops, a station in the center, and Lower Merion schools |
| Ardmore | About $625,000 | Suburban Square, a busy Lancaster Avenue downtown, and an Amtrak and SEPTA station |
| Wayne | About $1.01 million | The Main Line’s most complete downtown and four nearby SEPTA stations |
| Ambler | About $765,000 | A lively Main Street, the Ambler Theater, and the Lansdale/Doylestown Line |
| Jenkintown | About $600,000 | A small borough with its own school district and strong rail access |
| Chestnut Hill | About $1.06 million | Germantown Avenue, two rail lines, and Wissahickon Valley Park, with Philadelphia city taxes |
Sought-after school districts
Many families start with the school district and then choose a town inside it. These districts consistently draw family buyers:
- Lower Merion School District: Narberth, Gladwyne, Wynnewood, Merion Station, Bala Cynwyd, and parts of Ardmore and Haverford.
- Radnor Township School District: central Wayne and the Radnor side of Villanova.
- Tredyffrin/Easttown School District: Berwyn, Devon, and the Tredyffrin side of Wayne and Paoli.
- Wissahickon School District: Blue Bell, Ambler, Gwynedd Valley, and Spring House.
- Upper Dublin School District: Dresher, Fort Washington, and Maple Glen.
One rule applies everywhere: a mailing address does not tell you the school district. Many of these towns straddle township lines, so confirm the district for each home. The guide to the best school districts near Philadelphia goes deeper.
More space for the money
These suburbs trade some prestige or walkability for more house, more yard, or a lower price.
| Town | Typical home | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Abington | About $425,000 | Established neighborhoods and several SEPTA stations |
| Hatboro | About $465,000 | A small-town main street on the York Road corridor |
| Glenside | About $500,000 | Close-in living with a train station and a walkable center |
| Horsham | About $500,000 | Newer homes, parks, and quick Turnpike access |
| Lansdale | About $530,000 | A revived downtown at the end of the Lansdale/Doylestown Line |
| Phoenixville | About $585,000 | A walkable river town with a busy downtown, but no passenger rail |
| Collegeville | About $615,000 | Newer homes, trails, and Route 422 access |
Privacy and estate living
At the top of the market, buyers are paying for land, setting, and quiet.
| Town | Typical home | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Gladwyne | About $1.78 million | Wooded estates and a historic village, 20 minutes from Center City |
| Villanova | About $1.77 million | Main Line estates, protected gardens, and two rail lines |
| Haverford | About $1.54 million | Historic stone homes around Haverford College’s arboretum |
| Gwynedd Valley | About $1.22 million | Large lots, horse trails, and Wissahickon schools near Blue Bell |
The shortest trip to Center City
These are among the closest suburbs to Center City, with drive times measured without traffic:
- Bala Cynwyd: about 13 minutes, just across City Avenue.
- Merion Station: about 15 minutes.
- Wynnewood: about 19 minutes.
- Gladwyne: about 20 minutes via the Schuylkill Expressway.
- Chestnut Hill: about 26 minutes, inside the city limits.
Rush hour adds time everywhere, especially on the Schuylkill Expressway, so test the drive at the hour you would actually commute.
How to choose your suburb
- Rank your top three priorities. Schools, commute, walkability, space, and price rarely all line up in one town.
- Confirm the school district for each address, not each town.
- Drive the commute at rush hour before you make an offer.
- Compare total tax bills, not just prices. Philadelphia’s wage tax and differences between counties change the monthly cost.
- Read the trade-offs. Each town guide linked above ends with what you give up by living there.
Working with Karen
Karen Langsfeld is a REALTOR® and Pricing Strategy Advisor (P.S.A.) with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach. She helps buyers narrow the Philadelphia suburbs to the two or three towns that fit, then compare them street by street. If you are relocating, the guide to relocating to the Philadelphia suburbs is a good next step.
Contact Karen at (215) 495-2914 or through the contact page.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index, August 2026, rounded. Drive times are estimates without traffic.