State comparison
New York vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
Pennsylvania costs a median household about $4,800 a year less in state and local taxes than New York, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,861 a year against $6,580 in New York.
New York
High tax burden · COL index 139
Wins 5 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: New York vs Pennsylvania
New York has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.9%, which works out to 5.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,862 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 1.40% of home value a year in New York and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,580 against $3,861, so New York has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.52% in New York 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: $12,349 a year in New York, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New York's cost of living index is 139 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Pennsylvania is about 43% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $470K in New York and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $200K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New York and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $1,800 a year in New York and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 379 incidents per 100,000 residents in New York and 305 in Pennsylvania (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 24% lower. Property crime is 1,480 per 100,000 in New York against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.3 years in New York and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.2-year edge for New York. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New York's health system 15th of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so New York scores better on care.
5.4% of New York residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Pennsylvania, which favors New York. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York's K-12 schools 12th in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 11 places apart in New York's favor. Pennsylvania runs a school-choice voucher program; New York does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New York went to Harris by 12 points and Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
New York 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 York 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 York and medical only in Pennsylvania as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in New York and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New York (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 38 in New York and 47 in Pennsylvania (under 50 is good), favoring New York.
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
5
New York
10
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New York 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 $12,349); Pennsylvania on everyday costs (index 97 against 139); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 379); New York on schools (ranked 12th against 23rd).
Which is cheaper, New York or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 139. The median home is $470K in New York and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes Pennsylvania saves a median household about $4,800 a year.
Does New York or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
Pennsylvania. A household earning $74,580 pays about $12,349 a year in New York ($3,862 income tax, $6,580 property tax on the median home and $1,906 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 York or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 379 per 100,000 residents in New York and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 1,480 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, New York or Pennsylvania?
New York. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York 12th of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd. Pennsylvania also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is New York or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. New York does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $6,580 a year in New York and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.