Moving to Pennsylvania from Missouri
What to Expect
Considering a move from Missouri to Pennsylvania? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Missouri to Pennsylvania, you would find that Pennsylvania is 8.4% more expensive than Missouri. A $75,000 salary in Missouri would need to be roughly $81,300 in Pennsylvania to maintain the same lifestyle. Kansas City and Philadelphia are about 1,050 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Pennsylvania? Get a shortlist of towns in Pennsylvania that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Pennsylvania cheaper than Missouri?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 2.6% less
Groceries
pay 3.3% more
Transportation
pay 6.8% less
Housing
pay 15.1% more
Childcare
pay 74.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.7% 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.
What salary do you need in Pennsylvania?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $81,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Pennsylvania
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Pennsylvania compared to Missouri.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Missouri 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 Missouri across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Missouri 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
Missouri 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 Missouri 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 Missouri 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
Weather in Pennsylvania vs Missouri
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Kansas City | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 74°/54°F (23°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/67°F (30°/20°C) | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 55°/37°F (13°/3°C) | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Kansas City | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/22°F (4.2°/-5.3°C) | 40°/26°F (4.6°/-3.6°C) |
| Feb | 45°/26°F (7.0°/-3.2°C) | 44°/28°F (6.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Mar | 56°/36°F (13.4°/2.1°C) | 53°/34°F (11.5°/1.3°C) |
| Apr | 67°/47°F (19.3°/8.1°C) | 64°/44°F (17.7°/6.7°C) |
| May | 76°/57°F (24.4°/13.9°C) | 74°/54°F (23.2°/12.2°C) |
| Jun | 85°/67°F (29.4°/19.3°C) | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.7°C) |
| Jul | 90°/72°F (32.3°/22.2°C) | 87°/69°F (30.6°/20.7°C) |
| Aug | 89°/70°F (31.4°/21.2°C) | 85°/68°F (29.6°/19.9°C) |
| Sep | 80°/60°F (26.7°/15.8°C) | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) |
| Oct | 68°/49°F (19.9°/9.4°C) | 67°/48°F (19.2°/9.1°C) |
| Nov | 54°/37°F (12.3°/2.6°C) | 56°/39°F (13.3°/4.0°C) |
| Dec | 42°/26°F (5.4°/-3.6°C) | 45°/30°F (7.1°/-1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Pennsylvania than Missouri?
On average Pennsylvania is around 8% pricier than Missouri, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Pennsylvania?
Budget about $20,325 for 3 months in Pennsylvania (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Pennsylvania safe?
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Missouri across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Pennsylvania compared to Missouri?
Pennsylvania performs significantly better than Missouri across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Pennsylvania compared to Missouri?
The average high temperature in Philadelphia is 65°F, compared to 66°F in Kansas City. Philadelphia receives around 41.5 in of rainfall per year, while Kansas City gets 39.1 in.
