State comparison
Nevada vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $3,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 97).
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 6 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs Pennsylvania
Nevada has no state income tax. 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. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $3,861, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada 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: $4,041 a year in Nevada, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Pennsylvania is about 4% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $145K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 305 in Pennsylvania (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 95% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.6-year edge for Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada 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 Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 25 places apart in Pennsylvania's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nevada went to Trump by 3 points and Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C, so Nevada 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 Nevada and medical only in Pennsylvania as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Nevada and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 47 in Pennsylvania (under 50 is good), favoring Nevada.
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
6
Nevada
9
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or Pennsylvania better to live in?
Pennsylvania wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $7,569); Pennsylvania on everyday costs (index 97 against 101); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 101. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $3,500 a year.
Does Nevada or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $4,041 a year in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 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, Nevada or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 2,634 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, Nevada or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd.
Is Nevada or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Nevada does not tax Social Security, 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 $2,200 a year in Nevada and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.