State comparison
Georgia vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
Pennsylvania costs a median household about $550 a year less in state and local taxes than Georgia, mostly because its income tax takes 3.1% of a median income against 5.0% in Georgia, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 97 against 91).
Georgia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 4 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Georgia vs Pennsylvania
Georgia has a flat 5.49% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,722 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 0.81% of home value a year in Georgia and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,754 against $3,861, so Georgia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.35% in Georgia 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: $8,120 a year in Georgia, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Georgia's cost of living index is 91 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Georgia is about 7% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Georgia and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $70K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Georgia and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Georgia and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in Georgia 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 2,212 per 100,000 in Georgia against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.2 years in Georgia and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.9-year edge for Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Georgia's health system 37th of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
14.1% of Georgia residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Pennsylvania, which favors Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid and Georgia did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia's K-12 schools 32nd in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 9 places apart in Pennsylvania's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Georgia was a swing state decided by 2 points and Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
Georgia 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 Georgia is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Georgia and protected by state law in Pennsylvania, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Georgia and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Georgia (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter), so Pennsylvania is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in Georgia and 47 in Pennsylvania (under 50 is good), favoring Georgia.
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
Georgia
10
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Georgia 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 $8,120); Georgia on everyday costs (index 91 against 97); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 32nd).
Which is cheaper, Georgia or Pennsylvania?
Georgia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 97. The median home is $340K in Georgia and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes Pennsylvania saves a median household about $550 a year.
Does Georgia or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
Pennsylvania. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,120 a year in Georgia ($3,722 income tax, $2,754 property tax on the median home and $1,644 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, Georgia or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in Georgia and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 2,212 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, Georgia or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Georgia 32nd of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd.
Is Georgia or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Georgia 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 $2,754 a year in Georgia and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.