State comparison
California vs Maine: which state is better to live in?
Maine costs a median household about $1,200 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,744 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
Maine
High tax burden · COL index 107
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: California vs Maine
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. Maine has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.15%, which works out to 6.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,813 a year. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.04% in Maine (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $3,744, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 5.50% in Maine; Maine 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, $9,787 in Maine. Maine is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Maine's is 107, where 100 is the national average; Maine is about 33% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $360K in Maine (Zillow, 2024), a $430K gap in Maine's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,500 in Maine.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $900 in Maine, so Maine is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 109 in Maine (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Maine is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 358% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,187 in Maine, again favoring Maine.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 77.8 in Maine (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.4-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Maine's 7th, so Maine scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Maine, 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 Maine's 14th, 6 places apart in Maine's favor. Maine 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 Maine went to Harris by 6 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Maine has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so California regulates guns more tightly and Maine 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 $14.15 in Maine.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and low in Maine (blizzard, flood), so Maine is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 26 in Maine (under 50 is good), favoring Maine.
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
10
Maine
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Maine better to live in?
Maine wins more of the measures that decide a move. Maine on taxes ($9,787 a year for a median household against $10,957); Maine on everyday costs (index 107 against 142); Maine on safety (109 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Maine on schools (ranked 14th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, California or Maine?
Maine is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 107 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $360K in Maine (2024). On state and local taxes Maine saves a median household about $1,200 a year.
Does California or Maine have lower taxes?
Maine. 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 $9,787 in Maine ($4,813 income tax, $3,744 property tax on the median home and $1,231 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Maine?
Maine, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 109 in Maine; property crime is 2,027 against 1,187.
Which has better schools, California or Maine?
Maine. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Maine 14th. Maine also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is California or Maine better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax; Maine does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,609 a year in California and $3,744 in Maine.