Moving to Pennsylvania from Kansas
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Kansas to Pennsylvania — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Kansas to Pennsylvania, you would find that Pennsylvania is 18.7% more expensive than Kansas. A $75,000 salary in Kansas would need to be roughly $87,368 in Pennsylvania to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Kansas to Pennsylvania.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $87,368
To maintain the same standard of living in Pennsylvania
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 8.7% more
Groceries
pay 20.9% more
Transportation
pay 25.6% more
Housing
pay 14.9% more
Childcare
pay 53.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.2% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Kansas and Pennsylvania stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Kansas 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 generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kansas leads in adult smoking rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Kansas generally does better on what about housing?, though Pennsylvania leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Kansas performs better than Pennsylvania across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Kansas generally does better on employment & economy, though Pennsylvania leads in gdp per capita.
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 Kansas across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Topeka | Harrisburg |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/25°F (8°/-4°C) | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) | 71°/50°F (22°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) | 81°/61°F (27°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 52°/34°F (11°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Topeka | Harrisburg |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°/19°F (4.1°/-7.3°C) | 36°/21°F (2.5°/-5.9°C) |
| Feb | 44°/23°F (6.9°/-5.1°C) | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.1°C) |
| Mar | 56°/32°F (13.4°/0.1°C) | 49°/30°F (9.3°/-0.9°C) |
| Apr | 66°/43°F (19.1°/5.9°C) | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (24.1°/11.8°C) | 72°/50°F (22.2°/10.1°C) |
| Jun | 84°/63°F (28.9°/17.0°C) | 81°/60°F (27.2°/15.5°C) |
| Jul | 90°/68°F (32.2°/19.9°C) | 85°/64°F (29.2°/17.8°C) |
| Aug | 89°/65°F (31.6°/18.6°C) | 83°/63°F (28.2°/17.0°C) |
| Sep | 80°/55°F (26.7°/13.0°C) | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.8°C) |
| Oct | 67°/44°F (19.6°/6.6°C) | 63°/42°F (17.4°/5.6°C) |
| Nov | 54°/32°F (12.3°/0.2°C) | 52°/35°F (11.1°/1.6°C) |
| Dec | 41°/21°F (4.9°/-5.9°C) | 40°/26°F (4.4°/-3.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Pennsylvania than Kansas?
Day-to-day costs in Pennsylvania run about 16% higher than Kansas on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Pennsylvania?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $21,842 in Pennsylvania for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Pennsylvania safe?
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Kansas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Pennsylvania compared to Kansas?
Pennsylvania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kansas leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Pennsylvania compared to Kansas?
The average high temperature in Harrisburg is 61°F, compared to 66°F in Topeka. Harrisburg receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Topeka gets 38.9 in.
