State comparison
Arizona vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
Arizona costs a median household about $1,700 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,142 a year against $3,861 in Pennsylvania, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 102 against 97).
Arizona
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 4 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Arizona vs Pennsylvania
Arizona has a flat 2.5% income tax, which works out to 2.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,865 a year. Pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% income tax, which works out to 3.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,290 a year. Arizona wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.51% of home value a year in Arizona and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,142 against $3,861, so Arizona has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.37% in Arizona and 6.34% in Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,879 a year in Arizona, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. Arizona is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arizona's cost of living index is 102 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Pennsylvania is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $420K in Arizona and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $150K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Arizona and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $1,850 a year in Arizona and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 474 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 305 in Pennsylvania (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 55% lower. Property crime is 2,624 per 100,000 in Arizona against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.3 years in Arizona and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.8-year edge for Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arizona's health system 34th of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
10.8% of Arizona residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Pennsylvania, which favors Pennsylvania. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona's K-12 schools 45th in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 22 places apart in Pennsylvania's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arizona went to Trump by 5 points and Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
Arizona has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C, so Pennsylvania regulates guns more tightly and Arizona is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Arizona and protected by state law in Pennsylvania, and marijuana is legal for adults in Arizona and medical only in Pennsylvania as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.35 an hour in Arizona and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Arizona (wildfire, extreme-heat, drought) and moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 46 in Arizona and 47 in Pennsylvania (under 50 is good), favoring Arizona.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
4
Arizona
10
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arizona or Pennsylvania better to live in?
Pennsylvania wins more of the measures that decide a move. Arizona on taxes ($5,879 a year for a median household against $7,569); Pennsylvania on everyday costs (index 97 against 102); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 474); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 45th).
Which is cheaper, Arizona or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 102. The median home is $420K in Arizona and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes Arizona saves a median household about $1,700 a year.
Does Arizona or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
Arizona. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,879 a year in Arizona ($1,865 income tax, $2,142 property tax on the median home and $1,873 in sales tax) and $7,569 in Pennsylvania ($2,290 income tax, $3,861 property tax on the median home and $1,419 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arizona or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 474 per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 2,624 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, Arizona or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona 45th of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd.
Is Arizona or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Arizona does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,142 a year in Arizona and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.