The salt and alkali contents were so high that the ecological landscape was depressed in water body of a coastal estuary area. Screening some plants which could not only tolerate saline-alkaline but also effectively remove nitrogen and phosphorus was therefore in urgent need. The tolerance range and removal rate of nitrogen and phosphorus by Phragmites australis and Typha angustifolia under salt and pH stress were investigated by hydroponic experiments. The results showed that Phragmites australis could tolerate at least 10 per thousand salinity and pH 8.5, while Typha angustifolia tolerated 7.5 per thousand salinity and pH 8.0. Combined with the change of the growth and physiological indexes (relative conductivity, proline, chlorophyll and root activity), the salt resistance of Phragmites australis was stronger than that of Typha angustifolia. Under salt stress, the removal rate of ammonia nitrogen of Phragmites australis was higher. The removal rates of nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus of Typha angustifolia were 2.5% and 7.3% higher than those of Phragmites australis in average, respectively, because of the high biomass of Typha angustifolias. The total nitrogen removal rate was equivalent. Under pH stress, the removal rate of ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus of Phragmites australis was a little higher than that of Typha angustifolia. However, Typha angustifolia had a higher removal rate of total nitrogen, which was 8.2% higher than that of Phragmites australis. All the analysis showed that both Phragmites australis and Typha angustifolia could be used as alternative plants to grow and remove nitrogen and phosphorus in the high salt-alkaline water body in coastal estuary area.