Moving to Washington from Pennsylvania
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Pennsylvania to Washington — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Pennsylvania to Washington, you would find that Washington is 13.5% more expensive than Pennsylvania. A $75,000 salary in Pennsylvania would need to be roughly $85,200 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Pennsylvania to Washington.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $85,200
To maintain the same standard of living in Washington
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 17.1% more
Groceries
pay 4.6% more
Transportation
pay 9.6% more
Housing
pay 26.0% more
Childcare
pay 3.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.2% 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.
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 Washington cost about 16% more than cities in Pennsylvania.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Pennsylvania to Washington.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania performs better than Washington 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
Washington 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 performs better than Washington 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 Washington 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
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though Pennsylvania leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington performs significantly better than Pennsylvania 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 | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/50°F (22°/10°C) | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/61°F (27°/16°C) | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/34°F (11°/1°C) | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Harrisburg | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/21°F (2.5°/-5.9°C) | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) |
| Feb | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.1°C) | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.3°/-0.9°C) | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) |
| May | 72°/50°F (22.2°/10.1°C) | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) |
| Jun | 81°/60°F (27.2°/15.5°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jul | 85°/64°F (29.2°/17.8°C) | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) |
| Aug | 83°/63°F (28.2°/17.0°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) |
| Sep | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.8°C) | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) |
| Oct | 63°/42°F (17.4°/5.6°C) | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 52°/35°F (11.1°/1.6°C) | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 40°/26°F (4.4°/-3.2°C) | 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Washington than Pennsylvania?
No — Washington is on average about 14% more expensive than Pennsylvania. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Washington?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,300 in Washington on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Washington safe?
Pennsylvania performs better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Washington compared to Pennsylvania?
Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Pennsylvania leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Washington compared to Pennsylvania?
The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 61°F in Harrisburg. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Harrisburg gets 43.6 in.
