State comparison
California vs Wisconsin: which state is better to live in?
Wisconsin costs a median household about $2,100 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $4,304 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 2 categories
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 12 categories
Taxes: California vs Wisconsin
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. Wisconsin has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.65%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,349 a year. Wisconsin wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.51% in Wisconsin (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $4,304, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 5.43% in Wisconsin; Wisconsin 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, $8,868 in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Wisconsin's is 93, where 100 is the national average; Wisconsin is about 53% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $285K in Wisconsin (Zillow, 2024), a $505K gap in Wisconsin's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,200 in Wisconsin.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $1,100 in Wisconsin, so Wisconsin is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 295 in Wisconsin (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wisconsin is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 69% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,787 in Wisconsin, again favoring Wisconsin.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 78.1 in Wisconsin (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.1-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Wisconsin's 8th, so Wisconsin scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 5.7% in Wisconsin, which favors Wisconsin. California expanded Medicaid and Wisconsin did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Wisconsin's 11th, 9 places apart in Wisconsin's favor. Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F, so California regulates guns more tightly and Wisconsin is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in California and legal with limits in Wisconsin, and marijuana is legal for adults in California and illegal in Wisconsin as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $7.25 in Wisconsin.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood), so Wisconsin is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 34 in Wisconsin (under 50 is good), favoring Wisconsin.
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
2
California
12
Wisconsin
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Wisconsin better to live in?
Wisconsin wins more of the measures that decide a move. Wisconsin on taxes ($8,868 a year for a median household against $10,957); Wisconsin on everyday costs (index 93 against 142); Wisconsin on safety (295 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Wisconsin on schools (ranked 11th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, California or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $285K in Wisconsin (2024). On state and local taxes Wisconsin saves a median household about $2,100 a year.
Does California or Wisconsin have lower taxes?
Wisconsin. 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 $8,868 in Wisconsin ($3,349 income tax, $4,304 property tax on the median home and $1,215 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 295 in Wisconsin; property crime is 2,027 against 1,787.
Which has better schools, California or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Wisconsin 11th. Wisconsin also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is California or Wisconsin better for retirees?
Wisconsin is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax; Wisconsin 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 $4,304 in Wisconsin.