State comparison
Pennsylvania vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $3,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 97).
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 9 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Pennsylvania vs Nevada
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. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.43% of home value a year in Pennsylvania and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,861 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.34% in Pennsylvania and 8.23% in Nevada; 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, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Pennsylvania's cost of living index is 97 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Pennsylvania is about 4% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $270K in Pennsylvania and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $145K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Pennsylvania and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Pennsylvania and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 305 incidents per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 95% lower. Property crime is 1,394 per 100,000 in Pennsylvania against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.1 years in Pennsylvania and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.6-year edge for Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Pennsylvania's health system 17th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
6.5% of Pennsylvania residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, 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 Nevada's 48th, 25 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 Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Nevada 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 Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Pennsylvania and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 47 in Pennsylvania and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Nevada.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
9
Pennsylvania
6
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Pennsylvania or Nevada better to live in?
Pennsylvania wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $7,569); Pennsylvania on everyday costs (index 97 against 101); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Pennsylvania or Nevada?
Pennsylvania is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 101. The median home is $270K in Pennsylvania and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $3,500 a year.
Does Pennsylvania or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. 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 $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Pennsylvania or Nevada?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 305 per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,394 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Pennsylvania or Nevada?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Pennsylvania 23rd of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th.
Is Pennsylvania or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,861 a year in Pennsylvania and $2,200 in Nevada.