Pennsylvania Cost of Living Comparison

Pennsylvania: the midpoint of a steep east-west slope

Pennsylvania's six neighbours tell the story. New Jersey and New York are far dearer, Maryland (104.959) and Delaware (99.808) somewhat dearer, while Ohio and West Virginia are cheaper. The two-bedroom gross-rent median of $1,245 is $559 a month below New Jersey's and $182 above Ohio's. Where a household lives along that slope can matter as much as the state it picks.

The categories are near the national level, with one exception. Goods (99.357), rents (85.068) and other services (99.762) are at or below the U.S. level, but utilities, at 109.321, are 9.32% above it.

Shopping carries specific rules. The state sales tax is 6%, with a local 1% added in Allegheny County and 2% in Philadelphia, and major exemptions include food that is not ready to eat, most clothing, textbooks, pharmaceutical drugs and residential heating fuels. General sales supplied 28.5% of fiscal 2025 state collections and individual income tax 31.6%; total collections were $4,330 per resident, rank 24.

Housing and incomes are both mid-table, with one twist: Pennsylvania's property tax, a median $3,311 a year, ranks 19th, higher than its home values (35th) would suggest. On income, the household median and price-adjusted income per person land in exactly the same place, 24th.

The relative price level dipped from 97.717 in 2020 to 96.145 in 2021 and has since returned almost exactly to where it started. For commuters, the New Jersey vs Pennsylvania page explains the wage-tax agreement between the two states. Vermont (97.958) is the nearest price level nationally.

Before you budget a move

A Pennsylvania household budget should keep plan qualification and local tax preparation outside the housing benchmark arithmetic. The Census income median is not a prepared taxable base. Use approved liabilities for the household’s actual retirement or earned income and address instead of multiplying gross cash by a rate reference.

For Philadelphia-area, Pittsburgh-area or another Pennsylvania destination, price housing, travel and utilities consistently. A move that changes tenure also needs financing or leasing inputs. Historical real estate taxes paid describe existing owner-occupied units and cannot guarantee the bill for a particular parcel after purchase.