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