State comparison
North Carolina vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
North Carolina costs a median household about $680 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,345 a year against $3,861 in Pennsylvania.
North Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 94
Wins 4 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: North Carolina vs Pennsylvania
North Carolina has a flat 4.5% income tax, which works out to 4.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,976 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 0.70% of home value a year in North Carolina and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,345 against $3,861, so North Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in North Carolina 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: $6,887 a year in North Carolina, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. North Carolina is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
North Carolina's cost of living index is 94 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; North Carolina is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $335K in North Carolina and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month in North Carolina and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in North Carolina and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 398 incidents per 100,000 residents in North Carolina and 305 in Pennsylvania (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 30% lower. Property crime is 2,226 per 100,000 in North Carolina against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.7 years in North Carolina and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.4-year edge for Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks North Carolina's health system 23rd of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
11.8% of North Carolina 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 North Carolina's K-12 schools 29th in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 6 places apart in Pennsylvania's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election North Carolina went to Trump by 3 points and Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
North Carolina 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 North Carolina regulates guns more tightly and Pennsylvania is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is legal with limits in North Carolina and protected by state law in Pennsylvania, and marijuana is illegal in North Carolina and medical only in Pennsylvania as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in North Carolina and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in North Carolina (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 North Carolina and 47 in Pennsylvania (under 50 is good), favoring North Carolina.
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
North Carolina
10
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is North Carolina or Pennsylvania better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. North Carolina on taxes ($6,887 a year for a median household against $7,569); North Carolina on everyday costs (index 94 against 97); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 398); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 29th).
Which is cheaper, North Carolina or Pennsylvania?
North Carolina is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 94 against 97. The median home is $335K in North Carolina and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes North Carolina saves a median household about $680 a year.
Does North Carolina or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
North Carolina. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,887 a year in North Carolina ($2,976 income tax, $2,345 property tax on the median home and $1,566 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, North Carolina or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 398 per 100,000 residents in North Carolina and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 2,226 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, North Carolina or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Carolina 29th of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd.
Is North Carolina or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. North Carolina 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 $2,345 a year in North Carolina and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.