State comparison
California vs Kansas: which state is better to live in?
Kansas costs a median household about $2,200 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,728 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 7 categories
Kansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: California vs Kansas
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. Kansas has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.7%, which works out to 5.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,074 a year. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.24% in Kansas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $2,728, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 8.68% in Kansas; Kansas 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, $8,744 in Kansas. Kansas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Kansas's is 86, where 100 is the national average; Kansas is about 65% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $220K in Kansas (Zillow, 2024), a $570K gap in Kansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,050 in Kansas.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $4,500 in Kansas, so California is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 410 in Kansas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Kansas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 22% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 2,225 in Kansas, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 77.2 in Kansas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.0-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Kansas's 29th, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 9.6% in Kansas, which favors California. California expanded Medicaid and Kansas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Kansas's 26th, 6 places apart in California'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 Kansas went to Trump by 20 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Kansas has permitless carry and a grade of F, so California regulates guns more tightly and Kansas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in California and illegal in Kansas as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $7.25 in Kansas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and very high in Kansas (tornado, blizzard, drought). Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 38 in Kansas (under 50 is good), favoring Kansas.
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
8
Kansas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Kansas better to live in?
Kansas wins more of the measures that decide a move. Kansas on taxes ($8,744 a year for a median household against $10,957); Kansas on everyday costs (index 86 against 142); Kansas on safety (410 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 26th).
Which is cheaper, California or Kansas?
Kansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $220K in Kansas (2024). On state and local taxes Kansas saves a median household about $2,200 a year.
Does California or Kansas have lower taxes?
Kansas. 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 $8,744 in Kansas ($4,074 income tax, $2,728 property tax on the median home and $1,942 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Kansas?
Kansas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 410 in Kansas; property crime is 2,027 against 2,225.
Which has better schools, California or Kansas?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Kansas 26th.
Is California or Kansas 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; Kansas 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 $2,728 in Kansas.