State comparison
California vs Vermont: which state is better to live in?
California costs a median household about $330 a year less in state and local taxes than Vermont, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $5,609 a year against $6,574 in Vermont, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 142 against 111).
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 3 categories
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 12 categories
Taxes: California vs Vermont
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. Vermont has a graduated income tax topping out at 8.75%, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,317 a year. Vermont wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.73% in Vermont (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $6,574, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 6.22% in Vermont; Vermont 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, $11,282 in Vermont. California is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Vermont's is 111, where 100 is the national average; Vermont is about 28% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $380K in Vermont (Zillow, 2024), a $410K gap in Vermont's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,600 in Vermont.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $900 in Vermont, so Vermont is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 167 in Vermont (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Vermont is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 199% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,390 in Vermont, again favoring Vermont.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 79.8 in Vermont (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.6-year edge for Vermont. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Vermont's 5th, so Vermont scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 3.8% in Vermont, which favors Vermont. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Vermont's 6th, 14 places apart in Vermont's favor. Vermont 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 Vermont went to Harris by 31 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Vermont has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so California regulates guns more tightly and Vermont 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 $13.67 in Vermont.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter), so Vermont is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 27 in Vermont (under 50 is good), favoring Vermont.
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
3
California
12
Vermont
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Vermont better to live in?
Vermont wins more of the measures that decide a move. California on taxes ($10,957 a year for a median household against $11,282); Vermont on everyday costs (index 111 against 142); Vermont on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Vermont on schools (ranked 6th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, California or Vermont?
Vermont is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 111 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $380K in Vermont (2024). On state and local taxes California saves a median household about $330 a year.
Does California or Vermont have lower taxes?
California. 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 $11,282 in Vermont ($3,317 income tax, $6,574 property tax on the median home and $1,392 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Vermont?
Vermont, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 167 in Vermont; property crime is 2,027 against 1,390.
Which has better schools, California or Vermont?
Vermont. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Vermont 6th. Vermont also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is California or Vermont better for retirees?
California is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax; Vermont taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,609 a year in California and $6,574 in Vermont.