State comparison
California vs Tennessee: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $7,200 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,575 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 6 categories
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: California vs Tennessee
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. Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 0.45% in Tennessee (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $1,575, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 9.55% in Tennessee; California 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, $3,712 in Tennessee. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Tennessee's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Tennessee is about 54% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $350K in Tennessee (Zillow, 2024), a $440K gap in Tennessee's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,400 in Tennessee.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $2,000 in Tennessee, so Tennessee is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 668 in Tennessee (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); California is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 34% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 2,752 in Tennessee, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 74.2 in Tennessee (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.0-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Tennessee's 39th, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 10.4% in Tennessee, which favors California. California expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Tennessee's 41st, 21 places apart in California's favor. Tennessee 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 Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Tennessee has permitless carry and a grade of F, so California regulates guns more tightly and Tennessee is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in California and banned with narrow exceptions in Tennessee, and marijuana is legal for adults in California and illegal in Tennessee as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $7.25 in Tennessee.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm), so Tennessee is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 36 in Tennessee (under 50 is good), favoring Tennessee.
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
Tennessee
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Tennessee better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $10,957); Tennessee on everyday costs (index 92 against 142); California on safety (499 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); California on schools (ranked 20th against 41st).
Which is cheaper, California or Tennessee?
Tennessee is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $350K in Tennessee (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $7,200 a year.
Does California or Tennessee have lower taxes?
Tennessee. 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 $3,712 in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Tennessee?
California, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 668 in Tennessee; property crime is 2,027 against 2,752.
Which has better schools, California or Tennessee?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Tennessee 41st. Tennessee also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is California or Tennessee better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax; Tennessee does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,609 a year in California and $1,575 in Tennessee.