Cost of living in Pennsylvania vs California

When you’re considering moving to a new city, it’s helpful to compare the cost of living with the standard of living there.

Cost of living refers to how much you’ll pay for essentials such as rent and groceries, along with extras such as dining out and entertainment. Standard of living refers to how many hours you need to work to cover those expenses and your overall quality of life.

You might work the same 40-hour week in San Francisco, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona, but your costs and standard of living will be quite different in those places. In San Francisco, you might find yourself living paycheck to paycheck, barely covering the essentials with little left over for savings and splurges.

On the other hand, you might find that in Scottsdale, you can rent a large apartment, comfortably afford to shop at gourmet grocery stores and save for big-ticket items each month. The cost of living in Scottsdale is 33% lower than in San Francisco, freeing up some of your income and potentially giving you a bit more breathing room.

The standard of living in a city refers to other factors as well. Some questions to ask before choosing a new place to live include:

  • Is healthcare affordable?
  • Is there a range of affordable housing options?
  • Is there a substantial gap between rich and poor residents?
  • Is the local environment safe and free of dangerous toxins?
  • What is the climate like year-round?

Of course, personal preference enters into your decision, too. Your current city may have a high cost of living compared to other options, but if you love the lifestyle and live close to friends and family, the expense may be worth it.

But it helps to know what your money can buy in different places, especially if you’re transitioning to a new phase of your life or want to focus on saving money and reducing your expenses.

Necessary and Discretionary Expenses

Everything you buy or pay for falls into one of two categories: necessary or discretionary expenses. Necessary expenses include anything essential for your well-being and day-to-day survival, while discretionary expenses are additional items, services, activities, savings or investments that you spend on.

However, the cost of both necessary and discretionary expenses can vary significantly from city to city. All of the following items are non-negotiable, but what you’ll pay for them looks very different depending on where you live:

  • Rent or mortgage
  • Utilities
  • Income and property taxes
  • Internet
  • Gas or public transportation passes
  • Cell phone service
  • Groceries
  • Car payment
  • Child care
  • Health insurance premiums

You also have discretionary expenses, no matter where you are. These include things that you enjoy or that are important to you, but which could be cut from your budget if you needed to save money.

Some examples of discretionary expenses include restaurant meals, streaming services, gym memberships and personal grooming costs, such as getting your hair done at a high-end salon.

Where you live determines how much money you have available for discretionary expenses. The higher your necessary expenses, the less there is available for quality of life purchases.

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<img src="https://livingcost.org/assets/photo/cost/united-states/pa.jpg" alt="Cost of living in Pennsylvania infographic" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"><p>Source: <a href="https://livingcost.org/cost/united-states/pa" target="_blank">Cost of Living in Pennsylvania</a></p>
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Prices in Pennsylvania

We calculate prices for Pennsylvania as a weighted mean for the population of 36 cities. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages for more relevant information.

Los Angeles, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit Difference Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 $ 20.00 $      0.00 % Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 87.09 $ 70.00 $      -19.62 % McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.00 $ 8.00 $      -20.00 % Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) 8.00 $ 6.00 $      -25.00 % Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 8.50 $ 8.00 $      -5.88 % Cappuccino (regular) 4.96 $ 4.58 $      -7.73 % Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) 2.63 $ 2.28 $      -13.48 % Water (0.33 liter bottle) 2.26 $ 1.61 $      -28.65 % Los Angeles, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit Milk (regular), (1 liter) 1.15 $ 1.23 $      +6.60 % Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) 3.83 $ 3.55 $      -7.22 % Rice (white), (1kg) 5.52 $ 4.38 $      -20.75 % Eggs (regular) (12) 4.04 $ 3.42 $      -15.25 % Local Cheese (1kg) 12.93 $ 13.21 $      +2.19 % Chicken Fillets (1kg) 11.89 $ 14.04 $      +18.11 % Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 18.16 $ 14.90 $      -17.98 % Apples (1kg) 4.12 $ 4.96 $      +20.35 % Banana (1kg) 1.79 $ 1.54 $      -14.20 % Oranges (1kg) 3.46 $ 4.68 $      +35.32 % Tomato (1kg) 4.23 $ 5.49 $      +29.78 % Potato (1kg) 2.72 $ 3.15 $      +16.13 % Onion (1kg) 2.20 $ 2.73 $      +24.19 % Lettuce (1 head) 1.77 $ 1.97 $      +11.13 % Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.98 $ 1.71 $      -13.53 % Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 12.00 $ 15.00 $      +25.00 % Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.47 $ 2.73 $      +10.61 % Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 3.04 $ 4.96 $      +62.88 % Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 11.50 $ 11.50 $      0.00 % Los Angeles, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.75 $ 2.50 $      +42.86 % Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 99.50 $ 96.00 $      -3.52 % Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 4.00 $ 3.59 $      -10.13 % Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) 1.71 $ 3.42 $      +100.00 % Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 29.19 $ 25.00 $      -14.35 % Gasoline (1 liter) 1.48 $ 1.03 $      -30.78 % Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,000.00 $ 23,000.00 $      -8.00 % Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 22,886.54 $ 24,642.86 $      +7.67 % Los Angeles, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment 140.05 $ 166.22 $      +18.68 % 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) 0.12 $ 0.18 $      +42.44 % Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 67.95 $ 67.19 $      -1.11 % Los Angeles, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 45.31 $ 48.63 $      +7.34 % Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 11.86 $ 16.00 $      +34.94 % Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 16.00 $ 14.00 $      -12.47 % Los Angeles, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,361.25 $ 1,225.00 $      -10.01 % International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 22,929.57 $ 32,633.33 $      +42.32 % Los Angeles, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 59.39 $ 46.33 $      -21.98 % 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 40.75 $ 36.33 $      -10.84 % 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 93.93 $ 84.13 $      -10.43 % 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 133.00 $ 116.17 $      -12.66 % Los Angeles, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,517.94 $ 1,890.92 $      -24.90 % Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,967.76 $ 1,252.37 $      -36.36 % Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,591.86 $ 3,218.75 $      -29.90 % Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,572.81 $ 2,105.88 $      -41.06 % Los Angeles, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre 9,219.44 $ 5,651.05 $      -38.71 % Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 6,135.43 $ 2,690.98 $      -56.14 % Los Angeles, CA Edit Philadelphia, PA Edit Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,386.81 $ 4,908.48 $      -8.88 % Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 5.14 5.00      -2.76 % Last update: December 2022December 2022 Contributors in the past 12 months:361156

Is Pennsylvania cheaper than California?

Pennsylvania is 12.6% cheaper than California.

Is Pennsylvania an expensive state to live in?

The cost of living in Pennsylvania is 1% lower than the national average. Housing is 9% lower than the national average, while utilities are 8% higher. When it comes to basic necessities such as food and clothing, groceries are around 1% higher than in the rest of the country, while clothing costs 1% higher.

How much does it cost to live comfortably in Pennsylvania?

Average Cost of Living in Pennsylvania: $44,650 per year According to the third-quarter 2021 MERIC cost of living index , Pennsylvania is in 29th position, meaning it's just slightly more expensive than Minnesota and slightly less expensive than Montana.

Is PA an affordable state?

HomeBuyer.com was therefore able to rank Pennsylvania as the number 16 overall cheapest state to buy a house in in the U.S. with an average home price of $180,200 and an estimated monthly mortgage of $856.15, allowing for it to sit snugly amongst the top 20.