State comparison
California vs Connecticut: which state is better to live in?
California costs a median household about $890 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $5,609 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 142 against 114).
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 12 categories
Taxes: California vs Connecticut
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. 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. Connecticut wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.79% in Connecticut (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $7,071, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California 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: $10,957 a year in California, $11,843 in Connecticut. California is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Connecticut's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Connecticut is about 25% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $395K in Connecticut (Zillow, 2024), a $395K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,800 in Connecticut.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $1,600 in Connecticut, so Connecticut is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 203 in Connecticut (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 146% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,380 in Connecticut, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 79.8 in Connecticut (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.6-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Connecticut's 3rd, so Connecticut scores better on care.
6.8% of California 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 California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Connecticut's 3rd, 17 places apart in Connecticut'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 Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A.
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 $15.69 in Connecticut.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard), so Connecticut is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California 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
4
California
12
Connecticut
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Connecticut better to live in?
Connecticut wins more of the measures that decide a move. California on taxes ($10,957 a year for a median household against $11,843); Connecticut on everyday costs (index 114 against 142); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 20th).
Which is cheaper, California or Connecticut?
Connecticut is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $395K in Connecticut (2024). On state and local taxes California saves a median household about $890 a year.
Does California or Connecticut have lower taxes?
California. 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 $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, California or Connecticut?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 203 in Connecticut; property crime is 2,027 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, California or Connecticut?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Connecticut 3rd.
Is California or Connecticut 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; Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,609 a year in California and $7,071 in Connecticut.