State comparison
California vs Colorado: which state is better to live in?
Colorado costs a median household about $3,300 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,616 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: California vs Colorado
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. Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 0.48% in Colorado (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $2,616, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 7.76% in Colorado; Colorado 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, $7,634 in Colorado. Colorado is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Colorado's is 110, where 100 is the national average; Colorado is about 29% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $545K in Colorado (Zillow, 2024), a $245K gap in Colorado's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,850 in Colorado.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $2,800 in Colorado, so California is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 453 in Colorado (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Colorado is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 10% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 2,859 in Colorado, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 78.8 in Colorado (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.4-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Colorado's 9th, so Colorado scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 7.4% in Colorado, 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 Colorado's 9th, 11 places apart in Colorado's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election California went to Harris by 20 points and Colorado went to Harris by 11 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so California regulates guns more tightly and Colorado is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $14.42 in Colorado.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado), so Colorado is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 50 in Colorado (under 50 is good), favoring Colorado.
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
4
California
11
Colorado
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Colorado better to live in?
Colorado wins more of the measures that decide a move. Colorado on taxes ($7,634 a year for a median household against $10,957); Colorado on everyday costs (index 110 against 142); Colorado on safety (453 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, California or Colorado?
Colorado is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 110 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $545K in Colorado (2024). On state and local taxes Colorado saves a median household about $3,300 a year.
Does California or Colorado have lower taxes?
Colorado. 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 $7,634 in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Colorado?
Colorado, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 453 in Colorado; property crime is 2,027 against 2,859.
Which has better schools, California or Colorado?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Colorado 9th.
Is California or Colorado better for retirees?
California is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax; Colorado taxes 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 $2,616 in Colorado.