State comparison
Connecticut vs Hawaii: which state is better to live in?
Hawaii costs a median household about $4,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,268 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 196 against 114).
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 8 categories
Hawaii
Moderate tax burden · COL index 196
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Connecticut vs Hawaii
Connecticut has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.99%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,352 a year. Hawaii has a graduated income tax topping out at 11%, which works out to 6.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,559 a year. Connecticut wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.79% of home value a year in Connecticut and 0.27% in Hawaii (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $7,071 against $2,268, so Hawaii has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35% in Connecticut and 4.44% in Hawaii; Hawaii is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,843 a year in Connecticut, $7,821 in Hawaii. Hawaii is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Connecticut's cost of living index is 114 and Hawaii's is 196, where 100 is the national average; Connecticut is about 72% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $395K in Connecticut and $840K in Hawaii (Zillow, 2024), a $445K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Connecticut and $2,500 in Hawaii.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Connecticut and $500 in Hawaii, so Hawaii is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 281 in Hawaii (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 38% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in Connecticut against 2,480 in Hawaii, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Connecticut and 80.7 in Hawaii (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.9-year edge for Hawaii. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50 and Hawaii's 11th, so Connecticut scores better on care.
5.9% of Connecticut residents have no health insurance against 4.8% in Hawaii, which favors Hawaii. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut's K-12 schools 3rd in the country and Hawaii's 25th, 22 places apart in Connecticut's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points and Hawaii went to Harris by 26 points.
Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Hawaii has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.69 an hour in Connecticut and $14.00 in Hawaii.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Hawaii (hurricane, tsunami, volcano). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Connecticut and 18 in Hawaii (under 50 is good), favoring Hawaii.
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
8
Connecticut
8
Hawaii
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Connecticut or Hawaii better to live in?
Connecticut wins more of the measures that decide a move. Hawaii on taxes ($7,821 a year for a median household against $11,843); Connecticut on everyday costs (index 114 against 196); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 281); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 25th).
Which is cheaper, Connecticut or Hawaii?
Connecticut is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 196. The median home is $395K in Connecticut and $840K in Hawaii (2024). On state and local taxes Hawaii saves a median household about $4,000 a year.
Does Connecticut or Hawaii have lower taxes?
Hawaii. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,843 a year in Connecticut ($3,352 income tax, $7,071 property tax on the median home and $1,421 in sales tax) and $7,821 in Hawaii ($4,559 income tax, $2,268 property tax on the median home and $993 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Connecticut or Hawaii?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 203 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 281 in Hawaii; property crime is 1,380 against 2,480.
Which has better schools, Connecticut or Hawaii?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut 3rd of 50 for K-12 and Hawaii 25th.
Is Connecticut or Hawaii better for retirees?
Hawaii is friendlier to retirees on paper. Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Hawaii does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $7,071 a year in Connecticut and $2,268 in Hawaii.