Pennsylvania vs. Virginia Cost of Living Summary

Pennsylvania is 4.7% cheaper than Virginia.

Restaurants
pay 10.7% less in Pennsylvania
Groceries
pay 1.2% less in Pennsylvania
Transportation
pay 2.3% more in Pennsylvania
Housing
pay 15.9% less in Pennsylvania
Childcare
pay 7.6% more in Pennsylvania
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.5% less in Pennsylvania
Clothing
pay 8.2% less in Pennsylvania

The cost of childcare and transportation in Pennsylvania are more expensive than in Virginia. Expenses including housing, restaurants, clothing, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania vs. Virginia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Pennsylvania instead of Virginia, you would:

pay 10.7% less for restaurants

 
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $20.49
 
$19.53
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.13
 
$9.30
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.48
 
$2.27
 

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pay 1.2% less for groceries

 
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Bread
1 loaf
$3.44
 
$3.25
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.98
 
$7.37
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.79
 
$4.35
 

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pay 2.3% more for transportation

 
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.36
 
$3.58
 
Monthly public transit pass $79.15
 
$66.58
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $32,788.87
 
$31,817.25
 

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pay 15.9% less for housing

 
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$69.48
 
$62.16
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,832.03
 
$1,357.77
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,500.84
 
$1,179.21
 

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pay 7.6% more for childcare

 
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,614.20
 
$1,481.93
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $28,849.72
 
$35,614.17
 

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pay 6.5% less for entertainment and sports

 
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.17
 
$5.58
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.19
 
$5.03
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.03
 
$11.13
 

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pay 8.2% less for clothing

 
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$53.05
 
$53.27
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$41.36
 
$39.31
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$92.16
 
$83.69
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: February 2025
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