State comparison
Colorado vs California: which state is better to live in?
Colorado costs a median household about $3,300 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,616 a year against $5,609 in California.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 11 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs California
Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. 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. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $5,609, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado and 8.82% in California; Colorado is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $10,957 in California. Colorado is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Colorado is about 29% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $245K gap in Colorado's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $2,100 in California, so California is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Colorado is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 10% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 2,027 in California, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.4-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and California's 13th, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors California. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and California's 20th, 11 places apart in Colorado's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; California has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so California regulates guns more tightly and Colorado 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 $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Colorado is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 62 in California (under 50 is good), favoring Colorado.
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
11
Colorado
4
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or California better to live in?
Colorado wins more of the measures that decide a move. Colorado on taxes ($7,634 a year for a median household against $10,957); Colorado on everyday costs (index 110 against 142); Colorado on safety (453 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or California?
Colorado is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 110 against 142. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Colorado saves a median household about $3,300 a year.
Does Colorado or California have lower taxes?
Colorado. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,634 a year in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax) and $10,957 in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Colorado or California?
Colorado, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 499 in California; property crime is 2,859 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Colorado or California?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and California 20th.
Is Colorado or California better for retirees?
California is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,616 a year in Colorado and $5,609 in California.