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Homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania costs about $1,434 a year for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, according to Insurance.com and Quadrant, and about $1,720 a year for $400,000 of dwelling coverage, according to NerdWallet. The honest range is wider than either number suggests. InsuranceQuotes priced the same sample house across five major insurers and got $2,685 a year, because one insurer, Travelers, priced that house at $6,303. Leave Travelers out and the same study lands at $1,780 a year. Your premium depends on your house, your ZIP code, and which insurer you ask.
Pennsylvania is one of the cheaper states for home insurance. Every dataset in this post puts the state below the national average, usually by a wide margin. Philadelphia is the exception. The same house costs roughly twice as much to insure in Philadelphia as it does in Pittsburgh, and flood exposure is the main reason. This post compares the datasets side by side, names the cheapest carriers, breaks out city rates, and explains what actually moves your price.
What does homeowners insurance cost in Pennsylvania in 2026?
There is no single Pennsylvania average. The published averages run from $1,284 a year to $2,685 a year, and the gap is a measurement difference, not a mistake. Each study prices a different house, a different coverage level, and a different set of insurers. Read the table with the profile attached to each number.
| Source | Annual average | Profile priced | Data date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance.com / Quadrant | $1,434 | $300,000 dwelling, $300,000 liability, $1,000 deductible | 2026 |
| NerdWallet | $1,720 | $400,000 dwelling, $300,000 liability, $1,000 deductible, 40-year-old with good credit | May 2026 |
| Insurify | $1,284 | $300,000 dwelling, real-time quotes from 500 plus partners | Nov 1, 2026 |
| InsuranceQuotes / Quadrant | $1,780 | 2,000 sq ft wood-frame house, built 1997, $300,000 dwelling, $1,000 deductible, 4 of 5 insurers | Sep 30, 2026 |
| InsuranceQuotes / Quadrant | $2,685 | Same sample house, all 5 insurers including Travelers | Sep 30, 2026 |
| MoneyGeek | $2,195 | $250,000 dwelling, $125,000 personal property, $200,000 liability, $1,000 deductible | 2026 |
Two anchors are worth remembering. For a $300,000 dwelling policy, the most consistent figures cluster near $1,300 to $1,800 a year. The national average for the same coverage is $2,872 a year, per Insurance.com, so Pennsylvania runs roughly 40 to 50 percent below the country as a whole. The InsuranceQuotes figure of $2,685 looks high only because Travelers priced the sample house at $6,303 a year, about 3.5 times the other four insurers. That outlier is itself useful information. A single insurer can quote triple the market, which is why comparing three or four quotes matters more in Pennsylvania than in most states.
The trend is gentle. InsuranceQuotes found the Pennsylvania average for its sample house rose 1.1 percent over the ten months from November 30, 2025 to September 30, 2026, from $2,655 to $2,685 a year. That is a flat market by 2026 standards, when many states are seeing double-digit increases.
Why do the Pennsylvania averages disagree by more than $1,000?
The averages disagree because they measure different things. Dwelling coverage is the biggest lever. Insurance.com prices $300,000 of dwelling coverage and gets $1,434. NerdWallet prices $400,000 and gets $1,720. MoneyGeek prices $250,000 and gets $2,195, which looks backwards until you see that MoneyGeek’s figure is an average across a different insurer set and a different sample of ZIP codes. The insurer set matters as much as the house. InsuranceQuotes shows the same house costing $1,461 a year with State Farm and $6,303 with Travelers. Any average that includes Travelers jumps. Any average built from real-time quotes, like Insurify’s $1,284, skews toward shoppers who are actively comparing, which pulls the number down.
The practical lesson is simple. Do not budget from a statewide average. Budget from quotes for your house, in your ZIP code, from three insurers. The averages in this post tell you which end of the range to expect and which insurers to call first. They are not a quote.
Which company is cheapest for Pennsylvania homeowners?
State Farm and Allstate trade the cheapest spot depending on the study, and Erie, the regional carrier headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, is the value pick for service. MoneyGeek’s comparison, for a house built in 2000 with $250,000 of dwelling coverage, puts Allstate cheapest at $1,263 a year and State Farm next at $1,413. InsuranceQuotes, pricing a different sample house across 632 ZIP codes, puts State Farm cheapest at $1,461 a year and Erie next at $1,721. Insurify’s real-time quotes put Selective Insurance cheapest at $708 a year, with State Farm at $1,284 and Erie at $1,476.
| Insurer | MoneyGeek annual | InsuranceQuotes annual | Insurify annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allstate | $1,263 | $1,973 | Not listed |
| State Farm | $1,413 | $1,461 | $1,284 |
| Chubb | $1,602 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Erie | $1,718 | $1,721 | $1,476 |
| Farmers | $1,885 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Liberty Mutual | Not listed | $1,966 | Not listed |
| Selective | Not listed | Not listed | $708 |
| Travelers | Not listed | $6,303 | Not listed |
| USAA | $1,313 | Not listed | Not listed |
Three things stand out. First, USAA at $1,313 a year is the second cheapest in MoneyGeek’s comparison, but it only sells to military members, veterans, and their families. Second, Erie is the best-rated carrier in the state by customer satisfaction, scoring 4.9 out of 5 in MoneyGeek’s review, and it prices below the state average in every study that includes it. Third, the Travelers figure is a warning. One insurer pricing a house at $6,303 while four others price it between $1,461 and $1,973 means some Pennsylvania homeowners are paying triple the market without knowing it. If your renewal looks high, the first step is a quote from State Farm or Erie, not a call to your current insurer.
How much does homeowners insurance cost in Pennsylvania cities?
Philadelphia is the most expensive city in the state by a wide margin, and the gap is driven by flood exposure and older housing stock. InsuranceQuotes priced the same sample house in 16 Pennsylvania cities. Philadelphia averaged $347 a month, or $4,165 a year, with all five insurers, and $206 a month without Travelers. Pittsburgh averaged $194 a month, or $2,331 a year. York was cheapest at $191 a month. Harrisburg averaged $199 a month, Lancaster $201, and Allentown $229.
| City | InsuranceQuotes monthly (all 5 insurers) | MoneyGeek cheapest annual |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | $347 | $1,511 (Allstate) |
| Allentown | $229 | $1,107 (Allstate) |
| Lancaster | $201 | $1,008 (Allstate) |
| Harrisburg | $199 | $1,016 (Allstate) |
| Pittsburgh | $194 | $1,033 (Allstate) |
| York | $191 | Not listed |
The ZIP code spread is wider than the city spread. InsuranceQuotes found the cheapest ZIP code average in the state at $173 a month in Wexford, ZIP 15090, and the most expensive at $391 a month in Philadelphia, ZIP 19140. That is a $2,616 a year difference for the same house, decided by address alone. MoneyGeek’s city figures tell the same story from the other side. Allstate is the cheapest carrier in every Pennsylvania city it compared, but its Philadelphia price of $1,511 a year still runs about 50 percent above its Lancaster price of $1,008. Philadelphia’s flood exposure is the main driver. Standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage, and Philadelphia’s older rowhouses near waterways carry higher water risk than the rest of the state.
What drives your Pennsylvania homeowners premium?
Location comes first, then the house itself, then your profile. Philadelphia homeowners pay more because of flood risk, older housing stock, and higher rebuild costs. The rest of the state is cheaper because Pennsylvania has no hurricane exposure and no wildfire exposure, the two perils that push premiums up fastest in other states. Winter storms are the main weather risk, and they cost less to insure against than hurricanes.
The house matters in specific ways. A newer roof lowers the premium, because roof age and material are among the first things an underwriter checks. An older home costs more, and Pennsylvania has a large stock of pre-1950 homes, especially in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. A higher deductible lowers the premium. Moving from a $500 deductible to a $1,000 deductible is usually the cheapest way to cut a bill, as long as you can cover the $1,000 out of pocket after a claim. Credit matters too. Pennsylvania allows insurers to use credit-based insurance scores, and MoneyGeek’s data shows the gap between good and poor credit is one of the largest pricing levers in the state.
Coverage choices matter as well. Replacement cost coverage costs more than actual cash value coverage, and it pays more after a loss. Water backup coverage, which pays when a sewer or drain backs up into the house, is a cheap add-on that Pennsylvania homeowners with basements should consider, because standard policies exclude it. Flood coverage is separate entirely. If you live near a river or in a low-lying Philadelphia neighborhood, a flood policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier is a separate purchase, and the premium depends on your flood zone.
How to lower your Pennsylvania homeowners premium
Shop three insurers before every renewal. The spread between State Farm at $1,461 and Travelers at $6,303 for the same house is the whole argument. Get quotes from State Farm, Erie, and Allstate as a starting set, then add one more. Bundle home and auto with the same carrier. The bundle discount is usually 10 to 20 percent, and in Pennsylvania it is often the single biggest saving available. Raise your deductible to $1,000 if you can afford it. Ask about discounts for a new roof, a monitored alarm, smoke detectors, and a claims-free history. Erie and State Farm both discount for protective devices.
Check your dwelling coverage amount once a year. Insuring a house for more than its rebuild cost wastes premium, and insuring it for less leaves you short after a major loss. Your insurer’s rebuild estimate should track local construction costs, which have risen faster than general inflation. If you have made improvements, a new kitchen or a finished basement, tell your insurer. Unreported improvements can be underinsured after a claim.
Finally, check whether you need flood insurance and price it separately. A standard policy does not cover it, and Philadelphia homeowners in particular should get a flood quote before assuming they are covered. Our guide to flood insurance rates by ZIP code breaks out what flood coverage costs in different areas.
Key takeaways
Pennsylvania homeowners insurance costs about $1,434 a year for $300,000 of dwelling coverage, per Insurance.com, and about $1,720 a year for $400,000 of coverage, per NerdWallet. The state runs roughly 40 to 50 percent below the national average. State Farm and Allstate are usually cheapest, Erie is the best-rated carrier, and USAA is cheapest for military families. Philadelphia is the expensive outlier at about $347 a month for the sample house, while Pittsburgh is $194 and York is $191. The single most useful step is getting three quotes, because one insurer can price the same house at triple the market. For context on how premiums move across the country, see our Florida homeowners cost guide, our Colorado homeowners cost guide, and our explainer on why home insurance went up in 2026. The external benchmark for this post is InsuranceQuotes and Quadrant’s Pennsylvania rates page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania per month?
About $120 to $224 a month, depending on the dataset and the house. Insurance.com’s $1,434 a year works out to about $120 a month for $300,000 of dwelling coverage. InsuranceQuotes’ $2,685 a year works out to $224 a month, but that figure includes Travelers at $525 a month. Without Travelers, the same study is $148 a month.
What is the cheapest homeowners insurance company in Pennsylvania?
Allstate is cheapest in MoneyGeek’s comparison at $1,263 a year, and State Farm is cheapest in InsuranceQuotes’ comparison at $1,461 a year. Insurify’s real-time quotes put Selective Insurance cheapest at $708 a year. USAA is $1,313 a year but only for military families. Get quotes from at least three of these before deciding.
Why is homeowners insurance so expensive in Philadelphia?
Flood exposure, older housing stock, and higher rebuild costs. InsuranceQuotes priced the same house at $347 a month in Philadelphia against $194 a month in Pittsburgh. The cheapest ZIP in the state, Wexford at $173 a month, is less than half the most expensive Philadelphia ZIP at $391 a month.
Does homeowners insurance cover flooding in Pennsylvania?
No. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood damage everywhere, including Pennsylvania. Flood coverage is a separate policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier, and the premium depends on your flood zone. Philadelphia homeowners near waterways should price it separately.
How much dwelling coverage do I need in Pennsylvania?
Enough to rebuild your house at current construction costs, not its market value or mortgage balance. A common starting point is $300,000 of dwelling coverage for a typical Pennsylvania home, but the right number depends on your home’s size, materials, and local rebuild costs. Ask your insurer for a rebuild estimate once a year.
Is homeowners insurance required in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania law does not require it, but almost every mortgage lender does. If you own your home outright, coverage is optional, though going without it leaves you exposed to the full rebuild cost after a fire or major storm. Lenders typically require coverage at least equal to the loan balance.
