Moving to Alabama from Pennsylvania
What to Expect
Considering a move from Pennsylvania to Alabama? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Pennsylvania to Alabama, you would find that Alabama is 11.7% cheaper than Pennsylvania. A $75,000 salary in Pennsylvania would need to be roughly $66,200 in Alabama to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Montgomery averages 76°F vs 61°F in Harrisburg, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Pennsylvania and Alabama.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $66,200
To maintain the same standard of living in Alabama
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Groceries
pay 10.1% less
Transportation
pay 9.5% less
Housing
pay 16.4% less
Childcare
pay 32.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.2% less
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 Alabama cost about 2% more than cities in Pennsylvania.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Alabama compared to Pennsylvania.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania performs 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 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 significantly better than Pennsylvania across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Pennsylvania generally does better on infrastructure, though Alabama leads in average commute.
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 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 | Harrisburg | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 63°/40°F (17°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/50°F (22°/10°C) | 84°/60°F (29°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/61°F (27°/16°C) | 90°/69°F (32°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/34°F (11°/1°C) | 69°/45°F (21°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Harrisburg | Montgomery |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/21°F (2.5°/-5.9°C) | 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) |
| Feb | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.1°C) | 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.3°/-0.9°C) | 70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C) |
| Apr | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) | 77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C) |
| May | 72°/50°F (22.2°/10.1°C) | 84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C) |
| Jun | 81°/60°F (27.2°/15.5°C) | 90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C) |
| Jul | 85°/64°F (29.2°/17.8°C) | 92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C) |
| Aug | 83°/63°F (28.2°/17.0°C) | 92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C) |
| Sep | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.8°C) | 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) |
| Oct | 63°/42°F (17.4°/5.6°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Nov | 52°/35°F (11.1°/1.6°C) | 69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C) |
| Dec | 40°/26°F (4.4°/-3.2°C) | 60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alabama than Pennsylvania?
On average Alabama is about 12% less expensive than Pennsylvania, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Alabama?
Budget about $16,550 for 3 months in Alabama (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alabama safe?
Pennsylvania performs better than Alabama across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Alabama compared to Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania performs better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Alabama compared to Pennsylvania?
The average high temperature in Montgomery is 76°F, compared to 61°F in Harrisburg. Montgomery receives around 53.1 in of rainfall per year, while Harrisburg gets 43.6 in.
