State comparison
California vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
Pennsylvania costs a median household about $3,400 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,861 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: California vs Pennsylvania
California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 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. Pennsylvania wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $3,861, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California 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: $10,957 a year in California, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Pennsylvania is about 46% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $520K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 305 in Pennsylvania (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 64% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.1-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California 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 California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 3 places apart in California's favor. Pennsylvania runs a school-choice voucher program; California does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election California went to Harris by 20 points and Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C, so California regulates guns more tightly and Pennsylvania is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in California and medical only in Pennsylvania as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter), so Pennsylvania is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 47 in Pennsylvania (under 50 is good), favoring Pennsylvania.
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
California
10
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Pennsylvania better to live in?
Pennsylvania wins more of the measures that decide a move. Pennsylvania on taxes ($7,569 a year for a median household against $10,957); Pennsylvania on everyday costs (index 97 against 142); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 23rd).
Which is cheaper, California or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes Pennsylvania saves a median household about $3,400 a year.
Does California or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
Pennsylvania. A household earning $74,580 pays about $10,957 a year in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 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, California or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 2,027 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, California or Pennsylvania?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd. Pennsylvania also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is California or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Pennsylvania is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income 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 $5,609 a year in California and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.