State comparison
Pennsylvania vs Idaho: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $480 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,040 a year against $3,861 in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 6 categories
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Pennsylvania vs Idaho
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. Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 a year. Pennsylvania wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.43% of home value a year in Pennsylvania and 0.48% in Idaho (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,861 against $2,040, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.34% in Pennsylvania and 6.02% in Idaho; Idaho 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, $7,085 in Idaho. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Pennsylvania's cost of living index is 97 and Idaho's is 96, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $270K in Pennsylvania and $425K in Idaho (Zillow, 2024), a $155K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Pennsylvania and $1,500 in Idaho.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Pennsylvania and $800 in Idaho, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 305 incidents per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 228 in Idaho (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 34% lower. Property crime is 1,394 per 100,000 in Pennsylvania against 1,535 in Idaho, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.1 years in Pennsylvania and 77.7 in Idaho (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.6-year edge for Idaho. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Pennsylvania's health system 17th of 50 and Idaho's 32nd, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
6.5% of Pennsylvania residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in Idaho, 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 Idaho's 30th, 7 places apart in Pennsylvania's favor. Pennsylvania runs a school-choice voucher program; Idaho does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points and Idaho went to Trump by 30 points.
Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C; Idaho has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Pennsylvania regulates guns more tightly and Idaho is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Pennsylvania and banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho, and marijuana is medical only in Pennsylvania and illegal in Idaho as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Pennsylvania and $7.25 in Idaho.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 47 in Pennsylvania and 48 in Idaho (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
6
Pennsylvania
8
Idaho
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Pennsylvania or Idaho better to live in?
Idaho wins more of the measures that decide a move. Idaho on taxes ($7,085 a year for a median household against $7,569); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 97); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 305); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Pennsylvania or Idaho?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 97. The median home is $270K in Pennsylvania and $425K in Idaho (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $480 a year.
Does Pennsylvania or Idaho have lower taxes?
Idaho. 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 $7,085 in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Pennsylvania or Idaho?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 305 per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 228 in Idaho; property crime is 1,394 against 1,535.
Which has better schools, Pennsylvania or Idaho?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Pennsylvania 23rd of 50 for K-12 and Idaho 30th. Pennsylvania also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Pennsylvania or Idaho better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; Idaho 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 $2,040 in Idaho.