State comparison
Arizona vs Connecticut: which state is better to live in?
Arizona costs a median household about $6,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,142 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut.
Arizona
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 8 categories
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Arizona vs Connecticut
Arizona has a flat 2.5% income tax, which works out to 2.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,865 a year. Connecticut has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.99%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,352 a year. Arizona wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.51% of home value a year in Arizona and 1.79% in Connecticut (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,142 against $7,071, so Arizona has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.37% in Arizona and 6.35% in Connecticut; Connecticut is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,879 a year in Arizona, $11,843 in Connecticut. Arizona is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arizona's cost of living index is 102 and Connecticut's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Arizona is about 12% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $420K in Arizona and $395K in Connecticut (Zillow, 2024), a $25K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Arizona and $1,800 in Connecticut.
Home insurance averages $1,850 a year in Arizona and $1,600 in Connecticut, so Connecticut is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 474 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 203 in Connecticut (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 133% lower. Property crime is 2,624 per 100,000 in Arizona against 1,380 in Connecticut, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.3 years in Arizona and 79.8 in Connecticut (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.5-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arizona's health system 34th of 50 and Connecticut's 3rd, so Connecticut scores better on care.
10.8% of Arizona residents have no health insurance against 5.9% in Connecticut, which favors Connecticut. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona's K-12 schools 45th in the country and Connecticut's 3rd, 42 places apart in Connecticut's favor. Arizona runs a school-choice voucher program; Connecticut does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arizona went to Trump by 5 points and Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points.
Arizona has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Connecticut regulates guns more tightly and Arizona is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Arizona and protected by state law in Connecticut, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.35 an hour in Arizona and $15.69 in Connecticut.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Arizona (wildfire, extreme-heat, drought) and moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 46 in Arizona and 32 in Connecticut (under 50 is good), favoring Connecticut.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
8
Arizona
8
Connecticut
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arizona or Connecticut better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Arizona on taxes ($5,879 a year for a median household against $11,843); Arizona on everyday costs (index 102 against 114); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 474); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 45th).
Which is cheaper, Arizona or Connecticut?
Arizona is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 114. The median home is $420K in Arizona and $395K in Connecticut (2024). On state and local taxes Arizona saves a median household about $6,000 a year.
Does Arizona or Connecticut have lower taxes?
Arizona. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,879 a year in Arizona ($1,865 income tax, $2,142 property tax on the median home and $1,873 in sales tax) and $11,843 in Connecticut ($3,352 income tax, $7,071 property tax on the median home and $1,421 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arizona or Connecticut?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 474 per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 203 in Connecticut; property crime is 2,624 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Arizona or Connecticut?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona 45th of 50 for K-12 and Connecticut 3rd. Arizona also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Arizona or Connecticut better for retirees?
Arizona is friendlier to retirees on paper. Arizona does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,142 a year in Arizona and $7,071 in Connecticut.