State comparison
Arkansas vs California: which state is better to live in?
Arkansas costs a median household about $5,000 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,170 a year against $5,609 in California.
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 7 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Arkansas vs California
Arkansas has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.9%, which works out to 3.6% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,680 a year. California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 a year. Arkansas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.60% of home value a year in Arkansas and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,170 against $5,609, so Arkansas has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.46% in Arkansas and 8.82% in California; California is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,966 a year in Arkansas, $10,957 in California. Arkansas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arkansas's cost of living index is 85 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Arkansas is about 67% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $195K in Arkansas and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $595K gap in Arkansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month in Arkansas and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $2,600 a year in Arkansas and $2,100 in California, so California is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 619 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); California is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 24% lower. Property crime is 2,469 per 100,000 in Arkansas against 2,027 in California, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.8 years in Arkansas and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.4-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arkansas's health system 44th of 50 and California's 13th, so California scores better on care.
9.4% of Arkansas residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors California. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas's K-12 schools 42nd in the country and California's 20th, 22 places apart in California's favor. Arkansas runs a school-choice voucher program; California does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arkansas went to Trump by 28 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Arkansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; California has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so California regulates guns more tightly and Arkansas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Arkansas and protected by state law in California, and marijuana is medical only in Arkansas and legal for adults in California as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.00 an hour in Arkansas and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Arkansas (tornado, flood) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Arkansas is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 35 in Arkansas and 62 in California (under 50 is good), favoring Arkansas.
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
7
Arkansas
7
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arkansas or California better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Arkansas on taxes ($5,966 a year for a median household against $10,957); Arkansas on everyday costs (index 85 against 142); California on safety (499 violent crimes per 100,000 against 619); California on schools (ranked 20th against 42nd).
Which is cheaper, Arkansas or California?
Arkansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 142. The median home is $195K in Arkansas and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Arkansas saves a median household about $5,000 a year.
Does Arkansas or California have lower taxes?
Arkansas. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,966 a year in Arkansas ($2,680 income tax, $1,170 property tax on the median home and $2,117 in sales tax) and $10,957 in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arkansas or California?
California, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 619 per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 499 in California; property crime is 2,469 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Arkansas or California?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas 42nd of 50 for K-12 and California 20th. Arkansas also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Arkansas or California better for retirees?
Arkansas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Arkansas does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,170 a year in Arkansas and $5,609 in California.