Moving to Pennsylvania from Virginia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Virginia to Pennsylvania — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Virginia to Pennsylvania, you would find that Pennsylvania is 9.4% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $67,900 in Pennsylvania to maintain the same lifestyle. Virginia Beach and Philadelphia are about 220 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 Virginia?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 11.3% less
Groceries
pay 10.3% less
Transportation
pay 1.4% more
Housing
pay 14.2% less
Childcare
pay 0.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.6% 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 Pennsylvania?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $67,900
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 18% less than cities in Virginia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Virginia to Pennsylvania.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Virginia 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
Pennsylvania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Virginia 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 significantly better than Virginia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Virginia generally does better on infrastructure, though Pennsylvania 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
Virginia 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
Virginia performs 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
Weather in Pennsylvania vs Virginia
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Richmond | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 74°/54°F (23°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Philadelphia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 40°/26°F (4.6°/-3.6°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 44°/28°F (6.6°/-2.4°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 53°/34°F (11.5°/1.3°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 64°/44°F (17.7°/6.7°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 74°/54°F (23.2°/12.2°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.7°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 87°/69°F (30.6°/20.7°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 85°/68°F (29.6°/19.9°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 67°/48°F (19.2°/9.1°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 56°/39°F (13.3°/4.0°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 45°/30°F (7.1°/-1.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Pennsylvania than Virginia?
Yes — Pennsylvania is on average about 9% cheaper than Virginia. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Pennsylvania?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $16,975 in Pennsylvania on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Pennsylvania safe?
Virginia generally does better on safety, though Pennsylvania leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Pennsylvania compared to Virginia?
Pennsylvania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Virginia leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Pennsylvania compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Philadelphia is 65°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Philadelphia receives around 41.5 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
