Moving to Pennsylvania from Utah
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Utah to Pennsylvania — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Utah to Pennsylvania, you would find that Pennsylvania is 5.9% more expensive than Utah. A $75,000 salary in Utah would need to be roughly $79,400 in Pennsylvania to maintain the same lifestyle. Salt Lake City and Philadelphia are about 1,900 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 Utah?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 5.4% more
Groceries
pay 14.8% more
Transportation
pay 7.1% less
Housing
pay 2.1% more
Childcare
pay 64.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.8% 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 → $79,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania cost about 1% more than cities in Utah.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Utah to Pennsylvania.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Utah generally does better on safety, though Pennsylvania leads in property 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 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 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
Utah generally does better on family life, though Pennsylvania leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 Utah
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Salt Lake City | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 74°/54°F (23°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salt Lake City | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) | 40°/26°F (4.6°/-3.6°C) |
| Feb | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) | 44°/28°F (6.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Mar | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) | 53°/34°F (11.5°/1.3°C) |
| Apr | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) | 64°/44°F (17.7°/6.7°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) | 74°/54°F (23.2°/12.2°C) |
| Jun | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.7°C) |
| Jul | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) | 87°/69°F (30.6°/20.7°C) |
| Aug | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) | 85°/68°F (29.6°/19.9°C) |
| Sep | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) | 67°/48°F (19.2°/9.1°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) | 56°/39°F (13.3°/4.0°C) |
| Dec | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) | 45°/30°F (7.1°/-1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Pennsylvania than Utah?
No — Pennsylvania is on average about 6% more expensive than Utah. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Pennsylvania?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,850 in Pennsylvania on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Pennsylvania safe?
Utah generally does better on safety, though Pennsylvania leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Pennsylvania compared to Utah?
Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Pennsylvania leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Pennsylvania compared to Utah?
The average high temperature in Philadelphia is 65°F, compared to 64°F in Salt Lake City. Philadelphia receives around 41.5 in of rainfall per year, while Salt Lake City gets 16.1 in.
