State comparison
Pennsylvania vs Tennessee: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $3,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because it has no income tax.
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 9 categories
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Pennsylvania vs Tennessee
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. Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.43% of home value a year in Pennsylvania and 0.45% in Tennessee (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,861 against $1,575, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.34% in Pennsylvania and 9.55% in Tennessee; 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, $3,712 in Tennessee. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Pennsylvania's cost of living index is 97 and Tennessee's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Tennessee is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $270K in Pennsylvania and $350K in Tennessee (Zillow, 2024), a $80K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Pennsylvania and $1,400 in Tennessee.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Pennsylvania and $2,000 in Tennessee, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 305 incidents per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 668 in Tennessee (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 119% lower. Property crime is 1,394 per 100,000 in Pennsylvania against 2,752 in Tennessee, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.1 years in Pennsylvania and 74.2 in Tennessee (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.9-year edge for Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Pennsylvania's health system 17th of 50 and Tennessee's 39th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
6.5% of Pennsylvania residents have no health insurance against 10.4% in Tennessee, which favors Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Pennsylvania's K-12 schools 23rd in the country and Tennessee's 41st, 18 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 Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points.
Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C; Tennessee has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Pennsylvania regulates guns more tightly and Tennessee is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Pennsylvania and banned with narrow exceptions in Tennessee, and marijuana is medical only in Pennsylvania and illegal in Tennessee as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Pennsylvania and $7.25 in Tennessee.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm). Annual average air quality index is 47 in Pennsylvania and 36 in Tennessee (under 50 is good), favoring Tennessee.
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
9
Pennsylvania
6
Tennessee
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 Tennessee better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $7,569); Tennessee on everyday costs (index 92 against 97); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Pennsylvania on schools (ranked 23rd against 41st).
Which is cheaper, Pennsylvania or Tennessee?
Tennessee is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 97. The median home is $270K in Pennsylvania and $350K in Tennessee (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $3,900 a year.
Does Pennsylvania or Tennessee have lower taxes?
Tennessee. 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 $3,712 in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Pennsylvania or Tennessee?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 305 per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 668 in Tennessee; property crime is 1,394 against 2,752.
Which has better schools, Pennsylvania or Tennessee?
Pennsylvania. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Pennsylvania 23rd of 50 for K-12 and Tennessee 41st.
Is Pennsylvania or Tennessee better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; Tennessee 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 $1,575 in Tennessee.