State comparison
California vs Minnesota: which state is better to live in?
Minnesota costs a median household about $1,300 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,417 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 3 categories
Minnesota
High tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 13 categories
Taxes: California vs Minnesota
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. Minnesota has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.85%, which works out to 6.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,588 a year. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.02% in Minnesota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $3,417, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 7.42% in Minnesota; Minnesota 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, $9,666 in Minnesota. Minnesota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Minnesota's is 95, where 100 is the national average; Minnesota is about 49% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $335K in Minnesota (Zillow, 2024), a $455K gap in Minnesota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,450 in Minnesota.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $1,700 in Minnesota, so Minnesota is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 286 in Minnesota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Minnesota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 74% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 2,094 in Minnesota, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 79.4 in Minnesota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.2-year edge for Minnesota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Minnesota's 2nd, so Minnesota scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 4.5% in Minnesota, which favors Minnesota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Minnesota's 8th, 12 places apart in Minnesota'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 Minnesota went to Harris by 4 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Minnesota has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of B, so California regulates guns more tightly and Minnesota 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 $10.85 in Minnesota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Minnesota (blizzard, tornado, flood), so Minnesota is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 32 in Minnesota (under 50 is good), favoring Minnesota.
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
3
California
13
Minnesota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Minnesota better to live in?
Minnesota wins more of the measures that decide a move. Minnesota on taxes ($9,666 a year for a median household against $10,957); Minnesota on everyday costs (index 95 against 142); Minnesota on safety (286 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Minnesota on schools (ranked 8th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, California or Minnesota?
Minnesota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $335K in Minnesota (2024). On state and local taxes Minnesota saves a median household about $1,300 a year.
Does California or Minnesota have lower taxes?
Minnesota. 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 $9,666 in Minnesota ($4,588 income tax, $3,417 property tax on the median home and $1,660 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Minnesota?
Minnesota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 286 in Minnesota; property crime is 2,027 against 2,094.
Which has better schools, California or Minnesota?
Minnesota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Minnesota 8th.
Is California or Minnesota 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; Minnesota 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 $3,417 in Minnesota.