State comparison
Idaho vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $480 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,040 a year against $3,861 in Pennsylvania.
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 8 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs Pennsylvania
Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 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 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $3,861, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho and 6.34% in Pennsylvania; Idaho is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,085 a year in Idaho, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $155K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 305 in Pennsylvania (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 34% lower. Property crime is 1,535 per 100,000 in Idaho against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.6-year edge for Idaho. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Idaho's health system 32nd of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho 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 Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 7 places apart in Pennsylvania's favor. Pennsylvania runs a school-choice voucher program; Idaho does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Idaho went to Trump by 30 points and Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
Idaho 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 Idaho is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho and protected by state law in Pennsylvania, and marijuana is illegal in Idaho and medical only in Pennsylvania as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho 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
8
Idaho
6
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or Pennsylvania better to live in?
Idaho wins more of the measures that decide a move. Idaho on taxes ($7,085 a year for a median household against $7,569); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 97); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 305); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or Pennsylvania?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 97. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $480 a year.
Does Idaho or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
Idaho. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,085 a year in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 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, Idaho or Pennsylvania?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 1,535 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, Idaho or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd. Pennsylvania also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Idaho or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Idaho 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 $2,040 a year in Idaho and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.