Moving to Utah from Pennsylvania
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Pennsylvania to Utah — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Pennsylvania to Utah, you would find that Utah is 5.6% cheaper than Pennsylvania. A $75,000 salary in Pennsylvania would need to be roughly $70,800 in Utah to maintain the same lifestyle. Philadelphia and Salt Lake City are about 1,900 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Utah? Get a shortlist of towns in Utah that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Utah cheaper than Pennsylvania?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 5.1% less
Groceries
pay 12.9% less
Transportation
pay 7.7% more
Housing
pay 2.1% less
Childcare
pay 39.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.1% 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 Utah?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $70,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Utah
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 Utah cost about 1% less than cities in Pennsylvania.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Pennsylvania to Utah.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania generally does better on safety, though Utah leads in violent crime rate.
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
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Pennsylvania leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Pennsylvania generally does better on what about housing?, though Utah leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah performs significantly 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
Utah performs significantly better than Pennsylvania across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Pennsylvania generally does better on family life, though Utah leads in life expectancy.
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 Utah vs Pennsylvania
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Philadelphia | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/54°F (23°/12°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Philadelphia | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/26°F (4.6°/-3.6°C) | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) |
| Feb | 44°/28°F (6.6°/-2.4°C) | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) |
| Mar | 53°/34°F (11.5°/1.3°C) | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) |
| Apr | 64°/44°F (17.7°/6.7°C) | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) |
| May | 74°/54°F (23.2°/12.2°C) | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) |
| Jun | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.7°C) | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 87°/69°F (30.6°/20.7°C) | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) |
| Aug | 85°/68°F (29.6°/19.9°C) | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) |
| Sep | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) |
| Oct | 67°/48°F (19.2°/9.1°C) | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) |
| Nov | 56°/39°F (13.3°/4.0°C) | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 45°/30°F (7.1°/-1.1°C) | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Utah than Pennsylvania?
Yes — Utah is on average about 6% cheaper than Pennsylvania. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Utah?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $17,700 in Utah on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Utah safe?
Pennsylvania generally does better on safety, though Utah leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Utah compared to Pennsylvania?
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Pennsylvania leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Utah compared to Pennsylvania?
The average high temperature in Salt Lake City is 64°F, compared to 65°F in Philadelphia. Salt Lake City receives around 16.1 in of rainfall per year, while Philadelphia gets 41.5 in.
