Moving from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts
Pennsylvania to Massachusetts is a move of about 406 miles. Median rent is $1,762 a month in Massachusetts and $1,209 in Pennsylvania, and the median home is $562,100 against $254,500. State income tax is a flat 5.00% in Massachusetts and a flat 3.07% in Pennsylvania. Property tax runs 1.07% of home value in Massachusetts and 1.30% in Pennsylvania.
Moving to Massachusetts costs about
$750/mo
more than Pennsylvania each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Homes cost 2.2x more in Massachusetts, but the tax rate is lower
Massachusetts taxes property at 1.07% against 1.30% in Pennsylvania. Despite the far higher prices, the yearly bill only rises to about $6,014 from $3,309.
Pennsylvania vs Massachusetts at a glance
| Pennsylvania | Massachusetts | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $254,500 | $562,100 |
| Median rent | $1,209/mo | $1,762/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 3.07% | Flat 5.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.30% | 1.07% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 99 | 99 |
| Utilities | 109 | 152 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Pennsylvania vs Massachusetts
| Monthly | PA | MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,209 | $1,762 | +$553 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $205 | $315 | +$110 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $82 | None | -$82 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $91 | $100 | +$9 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,822 | $1,812 | -$10 |
| Utilities | $446 | $621 | +$175 |
| Total | +$755 | ||
Cost to move from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts
$1,600 to $3,700
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $400 to $650, against roughly $50 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 1-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Philadelphia is not Pennsylvania-average and Boston is not Massachusetts-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Massachusetts, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.