State comparison
California vs North Carolina: which state is better to live in?
North Carolina costs a median household about $4,100 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,345 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
North Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 94
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: California vs North Carolina
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. North Carolina has a flat 4.5% income tax, which works out to 4.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,976 a year. North Carolina wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 0.70% in North Carolina (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $2,345, so North Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 7.00% in North Carolina; North Carolina 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, $6,887 in North Carolina. North Carolina is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and North Carolina's is 94, where 100 is the national average; North Carolina is about 51% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $335K in North Carolina (Zillow, 2024), a $455K gap in North Carolina's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,450 in North Carolina.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $1,900 in North Carolina, so North Carolina is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 398 in North Carolina (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); North Carolina is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 25% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 2,226 in North Carolina, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 75.7 in North Carolina (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.5-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and North Carolina's 23rd, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 11.8% in North Carolina, 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 North Carolina's 29th, 9 places apart in California's favor. North Carolina 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 North Carolina went to Trump by 3 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; North Carolina has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so California regulates guns more tightly and North Carolina is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in California and legal with limits in North Carolina, and marijuana is legal for adults in California and illegal in North Carolina as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $7.25 in North Carolina.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and high in North Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood), so North Carolina is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 36 in North Carolina (under 50 is good), favoring North Carolina.
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
North Carolina
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or North Carolina better to live in?
North Carolina wins more of the measures that decide a move. North Carolina on taxes ($6,887 a year for a median household against $10,957); North Carolina on everyday costs (index 94 against 142); North Carolina on safety (398 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 29th).
Which is cheaper, California or North Carolina?
North Carolina is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 94 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $335K in North Carolina (2024). On state and local taxes North Carolina saves a median household about $4,100 a year.
Does California or North Carolina have lower taxes?
North Carolina. 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 $6,887 in North Carolina ($2,976 income tax, $2,345 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or North Carolina?
North Carolina, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 398 in North Carolina; property crime is 2,027 against 2,226.
Which has better schools, California or North Carolina?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and North Carolina 29th. North Carolina also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is California or North Carolina better for retirees?
North Carolina is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax; North Carolina does not tax 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 $2,345 in North Carolina.