State comparison
Pennsylvania vs Arizona: which state is better to live in?
Arizona costs a median household about $1,700 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,142 a year against $3,861 in Pennsylvania, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 102 against 97).
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 10 categories
Arizona
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: Pennsylvania vs Arizona
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. Arizona has a flat 2.5% income tax, which works out to 2.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,865 a year. Arizona wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.43% of home value a year in Pennsylvania and 0.51% in Arizona (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,861 against $2,142, so Arizona has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.34% in Pennsylvania and 8.37% in Arizona; Pennsylvania is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,569 a year in Pennsylvania, $5,879 in Arizona. Arizona is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Pennsylvania's cost of living index is 97 and Arizona's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Pennsylvania is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $270K in Pennsylvania and $420K in Arizona (Zillow, 2024), a $150K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Pennsylvania and $1,600 in Arizona.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Pennsylvania and $1,850 in Arizona, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 305 incidents per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 474 in Arizona (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 55% lower. Property crime is 1,394 per 100,000 in Pennsylvania against 2,624 in Arizona, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.1 years in Pennsylvania and 76.3 in Arizona (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.8-year edge for Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Pennsylvania's health system 17th of 50 and Arizona's 34th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
6.5% of Pennsylvania residents have no health insurance against 10.8% in Arizona, which favors Pennsylvania. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Pennsylvania's K-12 schools 23rd in the country and Arizona's 45th, 22 places apart in Pennsylvania's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points and Arizona went to Trump by 5 points.
Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C; Arizona has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Pennsylvania regulates guns more tightly and Arizona is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Pennsylvania and banned with narrow exceptions in Arizona, and marijuana is medical only in Pennsylvania and legal for adults in Arizona as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Pennsylvania and $14.35 in Arizona.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Arizona (wildfire, extreme-heat, drought). Annual average air quality index is 47 in Pennsylvania and 46 in Arizona (under 50 is good), favoring Arizona.
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
10
Pennsylvania
4
Arizona
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Pennsylvania or Arizona better to live in?
Pennsylvania wins more of the measures that decide a move. Arizona on taxes ($5,879 a year for a median household against $7,569); Pennsylvania on everyday costs (index 97 against 102); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 474); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 45th).
Which is cheaper, Pennsylvania or Arizona?
Pennsylvania is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 102. The median home is $270K in Pennsylvania and $420K in Arizona (2024). On state and local taxes Arizona saves a median household about $1,700 a year.
Does Pennsylvania or Arizona have lower taxes?
Arizona. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,569 a year in Pennsylvania ($2,290 income tax, $3,861 property tax on the median home and $1,419 in sales tax) and $5,879 in Arizona ($1,865 income tax, $2,142 property tax on the median home and $1,873 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Pennsylvania or Arizona?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 305 per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 474 in Arizona; property crime is 1,394 against 2,624.
Which has better schools, Pennsylvania or Arizona?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Pennsylvania 23rd of 50 for K-12 and Arizona 45th.
Is Pennsylvania or Arizona better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; Arizona does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,861 a year in Pennsylvania and $2,142 in Arizona.