State comparison
Pennsylvania vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Pennsylvania costs a median household about $630 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because its income tax takes 3.1% of a median income against 5.4% in Virginia.
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 7 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Pennsylvania vs Virginia
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. Virginia has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.75%, which works out to 5.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,031 a year. Pennsylvania wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.43% of home value a year in Pennsylvania and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,861 against $2,886, so Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.34% in Pennsylvania and 5.73% in Virginia; Virginia 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, $8,199 in Virginia. Pennsylvania is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Pennsylvania's cost of living index is 97 and Virginia'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 $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $120K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Pennsylvania and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Pennsylvania and $1,200 in Virginia, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 305 incidents per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 55% lower. Property crime is 1,394 per 100,000 in Pennsylvania against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.1 years in Pennsylvania and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.8-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Pennsylvania's health system 17th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
6.5% of Pennsylvania residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, 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 Virginia's 10th, 13 places apart in Virginia's favor. Pennsylvania runs a school-choice voucher program; Virginia does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C; Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Virginia regulates guns more tightly and Pennsylvania is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Pennsylvania and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is medical only in Pennsylvania and legal for adults in Virginia as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Pennsylvania and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 47 in Pennsylvania and 37 in Virginia (under 50 is good), favoring Virginia.
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
7
Pennsylvania
7
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Pennsylvania or Virginia better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Pennsylvania on taxes ($7,569 a year for a median household against $8,199); Pennsylvania on everyday costs (index 97 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 305); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 23rd).
Which is cheaper, Pennsylvania or Virginia?
Pennsylvania is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 102. The median home is $270K in Pennsylvania and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Pennsylvania saves a median household about $630 a year.
Does Pennsylvania or Virginia 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 $8,199 in Virginia ($4,031 income tax, $2,886 property tax on the median home and $1,282 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Pennsylvania or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 305 per 100,000 residents in Pennsylvania and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 1,394 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Pennsylvania or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Pennsylvania 23rd of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th. Pennsylvania also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Pennsylvania or Virginia better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; Virginia 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 $2,886 in Virginia.