State comparison
Ohio vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
Ohio costs a median household about $1,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because its income tax takes 1.8% of a median income against 3.1% in Pennsylvania.
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 7 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Ohio vs Pennsylvania
Ohio has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.5%, which works out to 1.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,335 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. Ohio wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.37% of home value a year in Ohio and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,220 against $3,861, so Ohio has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.22% in Ohio 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: $6,169 a year in Ohio, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. Ohio is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Ohio's cost of living index is 88 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 10% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $235K in Ohio and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $35K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Ohio and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $1,200 a year in Ohio and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 303 incidents per 100,000 residents in Ohio and 305 in Pennsylvania (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Ohio is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 1% lower. Property crime is 2,081 per 100,000 in Ohio against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.4 years in Ohio and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.7-year edge for Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Ohio's health system 22nd of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
6.9% of Ohio 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 Ohio's K-12 schools 28th in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 5 places apart in Pennsylvania's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Ohio went to Trump by 12 points and Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
Ohio has shall-issue carry permits 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 Ohio is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in Ohio and medical only in Pennsylvania as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.45 an hour in Ohio and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Ohio and 47 in Pennsylvania (under 50 is good), favoring Ohio.
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
7
Ohio
7
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Ohio or Pennsylvania better to live in?
Ohio wins more of the measures that decide a move. Ohio on taxes ($6,169 a year for a median household against $7,569); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 97); Ohio on safety (303 violent crimes per 100,000 against 305); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 28th).
Which is cheaper, Ohio or Pennsylvania?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 97. The median home is $235K in Ohio and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes Ohio saves a median household about $1,400 a year.
Does Ohio or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
Ohio. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,169 a year in Ohio ($1,335 income tax, $3,220 property tax on the median home and $1,615 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, Ohio or Pennsylvania?
Ohio, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 303 per 100,000 residents in Ohio and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 2,081 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, Ohio or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Ohio 28th of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd.
Is Ohio or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Ohio 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 $3,220 a year in Ohio and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.