State comparison
Pennsylvania vs California: which state is better to live in?
Pennsylvania costs a median household about $3,400 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,861 a year against $5,609 in California.
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 10 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: Pennsylvania vs California
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. California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 a year. Pennsylvania wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.43% of home value a year in Pennsylvania and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,861 against $5,609, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.34% in Pennsylvania and 8.82% in California; 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, $10,957 in California. Pennsylvania is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Pennsylvania's cost of living index is 97 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Pennsylvania is about 46% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $270K in Pennsylvania and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $520K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Pennsylvania and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Pennsylvania and $2,100 in California, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 305 incidents per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 64% lower. Property crime is 1,394 per 100,000 in Pennsylvania against 2,027 in California, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.1 years in Pennsylvania and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.1-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Pennsylvania's health system 17th of 50 and California's 13th, so California scores better on care.
6.5% of Pennsylvania residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, 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 California's 20th, 3 places apart in California's favor. Pennsylvania runs a school-choice voucher program; California does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C; California has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so California 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 medical only in Pennsylvania and legal for adults in California as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Pennsylvania and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Pennsylvania is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 47 in Pennsylvania and 62 in California (under 50 is good), favoring Pennsylvania.
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
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Pennsylvania or California 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 $10,957); Pennsylvania on everyday costs (index 97 against 142); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 23rd).
Which is cheaper, Pennsylvania or California?
Pennsylvania is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 142. The median home is $270K in Pennsylvania and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Pennsylvania saves a median household about $3,400 a year.
Does Pennsylvania or California have lower taxes?
Pennsylvania. 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 $10,957 in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Pennsylvania or California?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 305 per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 499 in California; property crime is 1,394 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Pennsylvania or California?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Pennsylvania 23rd of 50 for K-12 and California 20th. Pennsylvania also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Pennsylvania or California better for retirees?
Pennsylvania is friendlier to retirees on paper. Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,861 a year in Pennsylvania and $5,609 in California.