State comparison
New Jersey vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
Pennsylvania costs a median household about $7,200 a year less in state and local taxes than New Jersey, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,861 a year against $10,650 in New Jersey.
New Jersey
High tax burden · COL index 121
Wins 3 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: New Jersey vs Pennsylvania
New Jersey has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.75%, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,628 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 2.13% of home value a year in New Jersey and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $10,650 against $3,861, so Pennsylvania has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.60% in New Jersey 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: $14,755 a year in New Jersey, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New Jersey's cost of living index is 121 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Pennsylvania is about 25% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $500K in New Jersey and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $230K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New Jersey and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in New Jersey and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 213 incidents per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and 305 in Pennsylvania (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Jersey is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 43% lower. Property crime is 1,368 per 100,000 in New Jersey against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring New Jersey.
Health
Life expectancy is 79 years in New Jersey and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.9-year edge for New Jersey. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New Jersey's health system 19th of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
6.8% of New Jersey 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 New Jersey's K-12 schools 2nd in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 21 places apart in New Jersey's favor. Pennsylvania runs a school-choice voucher program; New Jersey does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New Jersey went to Harris by 6 points and Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey and medical only in Pennsylvania as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.13 an hour in New Jersey and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New Jersey (hurricane, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 35 in New Jersey and 47 in Pennsylvania (under 50 is good), favoring New Jersey.
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
3
New Jersey
11
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New Jersey or Pennsylvania better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Pennsylvania on taxes ($7,569 a year for a median household against $14,755); Pennsylvania on everyday costs (index 97 against 121); New Jersey on safety (213 violent crimes per 100,000 against 305); New Jersey on schools (ranked 2nd against 23rd).
Which is cheaper, New Jersey or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 121. The median home is $500K in New Jersey and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes Pennsylvania saves a median household about $7,200 a year.
Does New Jersey or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
Pennsylvania. A household earning $74,580 pays about $14,755 a year in New Jersey ($2,628 income tax, $10,650 property tax on the median home and $1,477 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, New Jersey or Pennsylvania?
New Jersey, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 213 per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 1,368 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, New Jersey or Pennsylvania?
New Jersey. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Jersey 2nd of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd. Pennsylvania also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is New Jersey or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Pennsylvania is friendlier to retirees on paper. New Jersey does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $10,650 a year in New Jersey and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.