State comparison
California vs Oregon: which state is better to live in?
Oregon costs a median household about $810 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because it has no sales tax.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 6 categories
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: California vs Oregon
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. Oregon has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.9%, which works out to 8.3% on a median income of $74,580, or $6,207 a year. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 0.82% in Oregon (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $3,936, so California has the lower rate.
Oregon has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,957 a year in California, $10,143 in Oregon. Oregon is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Oregon's is 110, where 100 is the national average; Oregon is about 29% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $480K in Oregon (Zillow, 2024), a $310K gap in Oregon's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,700 in Oregon.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $800 in Oregon, so Oregon is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 302 in Oregon (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Oregon is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 65% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 3,078 in Oregon, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 78 in Oregon (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.2-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Oregon's 14th, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 7.1% in Oregon, 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 Oregon's 21st, 1 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 Oregon went to Harris by 14 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so California regulates guns more tightly and Oregon 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 $14.70 in Oregon.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood), so Oregon is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 50 in Oregon (under 50 is good), favoring Oregon.
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
6
California
9
Oregon
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Oregon better to live in?
Oregon wins more of the measures that decide a move. Oregon on taxes ($10,143 a year for a median household against $10,957); Oregon on everyday costs (index 110 against 142); Oregon on safety (302 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 21st).
Which is cheaper, California or Oregon?
Oregon is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 110 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $480K in Oregon (2024). On state and local taxes Oregon saves a median household about $810 a year.
Does California or Oregon have lower taxes?
Oregon. 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 $10,143 in Oregon ($6,207 income tax, $3,936 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Oregon?
Oregon, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 302 in Oregon; property crime is 2,027 against 3,078.
Which has better schools, California or Oregon?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Oregon 21st.
Is California or Oregon 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; Oregon does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,609 a year in California and $3,936 in Oregon.