State comparison
California vs Ohio: which state is better to live in?
Ohio costs a median household about $4,800 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,220 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 5 categories
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: California vs Ohio
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. Ohio has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.5%, which works out to 1.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,335 a year. Ohio wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.37% in Ohio (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $3,220, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 7.22% in Ohio; Ohio 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, $6,169 in Ohio. Ohio is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Ohio's is 88, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 61% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $235K in Ohio (Zillow, 2024), a $555K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,050 in Ohio.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $1,200 in Ohio, so Ohio is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 303 in Ohio (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Ohio is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 65% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 2,081 in Ohio, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 75.4 in Ohio (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.8-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Ohio's 22nd, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Ohio, 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 Ohio's 28th, 8 places apart in California's favor. Ohio 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 Ohio went to Trump by 12 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F, so California regulates guns more tightly and Ohio 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 $10.45 in Ohio.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard), so Ohio is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 45 in Ohio (under 50 is good), favoring Ohio.
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
Ohio
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Ohio better to live in?
Ohio wins more of the measures that decide a move. Ohio on taxes ($6,169 a year for a median household against $10,957); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 142); Ohio on safety (303 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 28th).
Which is cheaper, California or Ohio?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $235K in Ohio (2024). On state and local taxes Ohio saves a median household about $4,800 a year.
Does California or Ohio have lower taxes?
Ohio. 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 $6,169 in Ohio ($1,335 income tax, $3,220 property tax on the median home and $1,615 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Ohio?
Ohio, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 303 in Ohio; property crime is 2,027 against 2,081.
Which has better schools, California or Ohio?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Ohio 28th. Ohio also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is California or Ohio better for retirees?
Ohio is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax; Ohio 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 $3,220 in Ohio.