Moving to Texas from Pennsylvania
What to Expect
Considering a move from Pennsylvania to Texas? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Pennsylvania to Texas, you would find that Texas is 6.5% cheaper than Pennsylvania. A $75,000 salary in Pennsylvania would need to be roughly $70,100 in Texas to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Houston averages 80°F vs 65°F in Philadelphia, making it significantly warmer. Philadelphia and Houston are about 1,350 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Texas? Get a shortlist of towns in Texas that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Texas cheaper than Pennsylvania?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 1.3% more
Groceries
pay 10.1% less
Transportation
pay 4.9% less
Housing
pay 5.1% less
Childcare
pay 29.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.7% 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.
What salary do you need in Texas?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $70,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Texas
Calculate with your salary →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 Texas cost about 1% more than cities in Pennsylvania.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Texas compared to Pennsylvania.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania performs better than Texas 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 Texas leads in adult smoking rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Pennsylvania performs better than Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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 better than Texas 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 Texas vs Pennsylvania
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Philadelphia | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) | 67°/48°F (20°/9°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/54°F (23°/12°C) | 86°/67°F (30°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) | 93°/73°F (34°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/11°C) |
View all months
| Month | Philadelphia | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/26°F (4.6°/-3.6°C) | 63°/43°F (17.2°/6.2°C) |
| Feb | 44°/28°F (6.6°/-2.4°C) | 66°/47°F (19.1°/8.1°C) |
| Mar | 53°/34°F (11.5°/1.3°C) | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.4°C) |
| Apr | 64°/44°F (17.7°/6.7°C) | 80°/59°F (26.4°/15.2°C) |
| May | 74°/54°F (23.2°/12.2°C) | 86°/68°F (30.2°/19.8°C) |
| Jun | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.7°C) | 91°/73°F (33.0°/22.9°C) |
| Jul | 87°/69°F (30.6°/20.7°C) | 94°/75°F (34.3°/23.9°C) |
| Aug | 85°/68°F (29.6°/19.9°C) | 94°/75°F (34.7°/23.8°C) |
| Sep | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 90°/70°F (32.1°/21.0°C) |
| Oct | 67°/48°F (19.2°/9.1°C) | 82°/61°F (27.8°/16.1°C) |
| Nov | 56°/39°F (13.3°/4.0°C) | 72°/52°F (22.5°/11.2°C) |
| Dec | 45°/30°F (7.1°/-1.1°C) | 64°/45°F (17.9°/7.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Texas than Pennsylvania?
On average Texas is about 7% less expensive than Pennsylvania, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Texas?
Budget about $17,525 for 3 months in Texas (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Texas safe?
Pennsylvania performs better than Texas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Texas compared to Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Texas compared to Pennsylvania?
The average high temperature in Houston is 80°F, compared to 65°F in Philadelphia. Houston receives around 49.8 in of rainfall per year, while Philadelphia gets 41.5 in.
