State comparison
California vs Nebraska: which state is better to live in?
Nebraska costs a median household about $2,500 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,816 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 5 categories
Nebraska
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: California vs Nebraska
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. Nebraska has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.99%, which works out to 4.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,093 a year. Nebraska wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.44% in Nebraska (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $3,816, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 6.94% in Nebraska; Nebraska 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, $8,461 in Nebraska. Nebraska is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Nebraska's is 91, where 100 is the national average; Nebraska is about 56% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $265K in Nebraska (Zillow, 2024), a $525K gap in Nebraska's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,150 in Nebraska.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $2,200 in Nebraska, so California is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 311 in Nebraska (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Nebraska is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 60% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,956 in Nebraska, again favoring Nebraska.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 78.6 in Nebraska (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.6-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Nebraska's 26th, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 7.1% in Nebraska, 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 Nebraska's 18th, 2 places apart in Nebraska's favor. Nebraska 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 Nebraska went to Trump by 19 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Nebraska has permitless carry and a grade of F, so California regulates guns more tightly and Nebraska is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in California and legal with limits in Nebraska, and marijuana is legal for adults in California and medical only in Nebraska as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $12.00 in Nebraska.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and high in Nebraska (tornado, blizzard, flood), so Nebraska is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 33 in Nebraska (under 50 is good), favoring Nebraska.
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
5
California
9
Nebraska
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Nebraska better to live in?
Nebraska wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nebraska on taxes ($8,461 a year for a median household against $10,957); Nebraska on everyday costs (index 91 against 142); Nebraska on safety (311 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Nebraska on schools (ranked 18th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, California or Nebraska?
Nebraska is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $265K in Nebraska (2024). On state and local taxes Nebraska saves a median household about $2,500 a year.
Does California or Nebraska have lower taxes?
Nebraska. 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 $8,461 in Nebraska ($3,093 income tax, $3,816 property tax on the median home and $1,553 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Nebraska?
Nebraska, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 311 in Nebraska; property crime is 2,027 against 1,956.
Which has better schools, California or Nebraska?
Nebraska. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Nebraska 18th. Nebraska also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is California or Nebraska 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; Nebraska does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,609 a year in California and $3,816 in Nebraska.