State Tax and Cost of Living Calculator

Your income, your house, all 50 states, ranked by what a year there costs you.

Enter your profile to see estimated monthly cost of living across all 50 states.

How the yearly figure is computed

Enter your income, your household and whether you would buy or rent, and the calculator runs the same estimate for all 50 states and sorts them by the total. Buying uses the home price you enter or the state's median, with a mortgage at 20 percent down and 6.75 percent over 30 years, the state's average home insurance premium and property tax at the state's effective rate. Renting uses your rent or the state's median two-bedroom rent. State income tax is the effective rate at your income under that state's brackets, not the top marginal rate, so a graduated state is not overcharged for a median earner. Sales tax applies the state's average combined rate to an assumed share of spending. Childcare is the state's average infant cost per child under five, groceries and utilities are national figures scaled by the state's cost of living index, and car insurance is the state average. Federal taxes are left out so the total is what the state costs, not what you keep.

Sources and years

Tax brackets, sales tax rates and property tax rates follow the Tax Foundation and state revenue departments for tax year 2026, last checked 2026-09-14; home prices and rents are Zillow and Census figures; the cost of living index puts the national average at 100. In the current data, 9 of the 50 states levy no tax on wage income (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming), and the cost of living index runs from 82 in Mississippi to 196 in Hawaii. The county calculatorruns the same lines on one county's own prices.

Scroll sideways for more

Estimates only. Housing uses a 6.75% 30-yr mortgage, 20% down. Groceries estimated at $450/person/month adjusted for COL. Car insurance and childcare use state averages. Income tax applies ~70% of top marginal rate as effective rate. Consult a financial advisor before making decisions. Sponsored links may earn a commission at no cost to you.