State comparison
California vs Missouri: which state is better to live in?
Missouri costs a median household about $3,700 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,112 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 8 categories
Missouri
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: California vs Missouri
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. Missouri has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.7%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,325 a year. Missouri wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 0.88% in Missouri (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $2,112, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 8.33% in Missouri; Missouri 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, $7,300 in Missouri. Missouri is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Missouri's is 86, where 100 is the national average; Missouri is about 65% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $240K in Missouri (Zillow, 2024), a $550K gap in Missouri's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,100 in Missouri.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $2,200 in Missouri, so California is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 581 in Missouri (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); California is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 16% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 2,695 in Missouri, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 75.3 in Missouri (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.9-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Missouri's 43rd, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 8.2% in Missouri, 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 Missouri's 33rd, 13 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 Missouri went to Trump by 19 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Missouri has permitless carry and a grade of F, so California regulates guns more tightly and Missouri is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in California and banned with narrow exceptions in Missouri, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $12.30 in Missouri.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and high in Missouri (tornado, flood, ice-storm), so Missouri is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 38 in Missouri (under 50 is good), favoring Missouri.
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
8
California
7
Missouri
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Missouri better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Missouri on taxes ($7,300 a year for a median household against $10,957); Missouri on everyday costs (index 86 against 142); California on safety (499 violent crimes per 100,000 against 581); California on schools (ranked 20th against 33rd).
Which is cheaper, California or Missouri?
Missouri is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $240K in Missouri (2024). On state and local taxes Missouri saves a median household about $3,700 a year.
Does California or Missouri have lower taxes?
Missouri. 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 $7,300 in Missouri ($3,325 income tax, $2,112 property tax on the median home and $1,864 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Missouri?
California, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 581 in Missouri; property crime is 2,027 against 2,695.
Which has better schools, California or Missouri?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Missouri 33rd.
Is California or Missouri 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; Missouri 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 $2,112 in Missouri.