Moving to Pennsylvania from Alabama
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Alabama to Pennsylvania — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Alabama to Pennsylvania, you would find that Pennsylvania is 13.3% more expensive than Alabama. A $75,000 salary in Alabama would need to be roughly $85,000 in Pennsylvania to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Harrisburg averages 61°F vs 76°F in Montgomery, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Alabama to Pennsylvania.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $85,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Pennsylvania
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Groceries
pay 11.3% more
Transportation
pay 10.5% more
Housing
pay 19.6% more
Childcare
pay 47.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.5% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Pennsylvania cost about 2% less than cities in Alabama.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Alabama to Pennsylvania.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Alabama across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Alabama performs better than Pennsylvania across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Alabama generally does better on infrastructure, though Pennsylvania leads in internet access.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Pennsylvania generally does better on employment & economy, though Alabama leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Alabama across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Montgomery | Harrisburg |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 63°/40°F (17°/4°C) | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 84°/60°F (29°/16°C) | 71°/50°F (22°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/69°F (32°/21°C) | 81°/61°F (27°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 69°/45°F (21°/7°C) | 52°/34°F (11°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Montgomery | Harrisburg |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) | 36°/21°F (2.5°/-5.9°C) |
| Feb | 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.1°C) |
| Mar | 70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C) | 49°/30°F (9.3°/-0.9°C) |
| Apr | 77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C) | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) |
| May | 84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C) | 72°/50°F (22.2°/10.1°C) |
| Jun | 90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C) | 81°/60°F (27.2°/15.5°C) |
| Jul | 92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C) | 85°/64°F (29.2°/17.8°C) |
| Aug | 92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C) | 83°/63°F (28.2°/17.0°C) |
| Sep | 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.8°C) |
| Oct | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) | 63°/42°F (17.4°/5.6°C) |
| Nov | 69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C) | 52°/35°F (11.1°/1.6°C) |
| Dec | 60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C) | 40°/26°F (4.4°/-3.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Pennsylvania than Alabama?
No — Pennsylvania is on average about 13% more expensive than Alabama. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Pennsylvania?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,250 in Pennsylvania on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Pennsylvania safe?
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Alabama across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Pennsylvania compared to Alabama?
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Pennsylvania compared to Alabama?
The average high temperature in Harrisburg is 61°F, compared to 76°F in Montgomery. Harrisburg receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Montgomery gets 53.1 in.
