State comparison
Connecticut vs Maryland: which state is better to live in?
Maryland costs a median household about $2,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $4,074 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut.
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 8 categories
Maryland
High tax burden · COL index 116
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Connecticut vs Maryland
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. Maryland has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.75%, which works out to 4.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,490 a year. Connecticut wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.79% of home value a year in Connecticut and 0.97% in Maryland (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $7,071 against $4,074, so Maryland has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35% in Connecticut and 6.00% in Maryland; Maryland 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, $8,906 in Maryland. Maryland is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Connecticut's cost of living index is 114 and Maryland's is 116, where 100 is the national average; Connecticut is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $395K in Connecticut and $420K in Maryland (Zillow, 2024), a $25K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Connecticut and $1,950 in Maryland.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Connecticut and $1,600 in Maryland.
Safety
Violent crime runs 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 468 in Maryland (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 131% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in Connecticut against 1,734 in Maryland, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Connecticut and 77.4 in Maryland (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.4-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50 and Maryland's 12th, so Connecticut scores better on care.
5.9% of Connecticut residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Maryland, which favors Connecticut. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut's K-12 schools 3rd in the country and Maryland's 4th, 1 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 Maryland went to Harris by 24 points.
Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Maryland 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 $15.00 in Maryland.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Maryland (hurricane, flood). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Connecticut and 40 in Maryland (under 50 is good), favoring Connecticut.
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
6
Maryland
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Connecticut or Maryland better to live in?
Connecticut wins more of the measures that decide a move. Maryland on taxes ($8,906 a year for a median household against $11,843); Connecticut on everyday costs (index 114 against 116); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 468); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 4th).
Which is cheaper, Connecticut or Maryland?
Connecticut is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 116. The median home is $395K in Connecticut and $420K in Maryland (2024). On state and local taxes Maryland saves a median household about $2,900 a year.
Does Connecticut or Maryland have lower taxes?
Maryland. 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 $8,906 in Maryland ($3,490 income tax, $4,074 property tax on the median home and $1,342 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Connecticut or Maryland?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 203 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 468 in Maryland; property crime is 1,380 against 1,734.
Which has better schools, Connecticut or Maryland?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut 3rd of 50 for K-12 and Maryland 4th.
Is Connecticut or Maryland better for retirees?
Maryland is friendlier to retirees on paper. Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Maryland does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $7,071 a year in Connecticut and $4,074 in Maryland.