State comparison
California vs Wyoming: which state is better to live in?
Wyoming costs a median household about $7,800 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,925 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
Wyoming
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: California vs Wyoming
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. Wyoming has no state income tax. Wyoming wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 0.55% in Wyoming (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $1,925, so Wyoming has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 5.34% in Wyoming; Wyoming 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, $3,120 in Wyoming. Wyoming is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Wyoming's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Wyoming is about 41% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $350K in Wyoming (Zillow, 2024), a $440K gap in Wyoming's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,300 in Wyoming.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $1,500 in Wyoming, so Wyoming is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 221 in Wyoming (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wyoming is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 126% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,812 in Wyoming, again favoring Wyoming.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 76 in Wyoming (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.2-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Wyoming's 33rd, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 12.3% in Wyoming, which favors California. California expanded Medicaid and Wyoming did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Wyoming's 39th, 19 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 Wyoming went to Trump by 43 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Wyoming has permitless carry and a grade of F, so California regulates guns more tightly and Wyoming is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in California and banned with narrow exceptions in Wyoming, and marijuana is legal for adults in California and illegal in Wyoming as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $7.25 in Wyoming.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Wyoming (blizzard, drought, wildfire), so Wyoming is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 30 in Wyoming (under 50 is good), favoring Wyoming.
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
4
California
11
Wyoming
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Wyoming better to live in?
Wyoming wins more of the measures that decide a move. Wyoming on taxes ($3,120 a year for a median household against $10,957); Wyoming on everyday costs (index 101 against 142); Wyoming on safety (221 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 39th).
Which is cheaper, California or Wyoming?
Wyoming is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $350K in Wyoming (2024). On state and local taxes Wyoming saves a median household about $7,800 a year.
Does California or Wyoming have lower taxes?
Wyoming. 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 $3,120 in Wyoming ($0 income tax, $1,925 property tax on the median home and $1,195 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Wyoming?
Wyoming, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 221 in Wyoming; property crime is 2,027 against 1,812.
Which has better schools, California or Wyoming?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Wyoming 39th.
Is California or Wyoming better for retirees?
Wyoming is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax; Wyoming 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 $1,925 in Wyoming.