State comparison
Connecticut vs Massachusetts: which state is better to live in?
Massachusetts costs a median household about $680 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $6,032 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 148 against 114).
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 6 categories
Massachusetts
High tax burden · COL index 148
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Connecticut vs Massachusetts
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. Massachusetts has a graduated income tax topping out at 9%, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,729 a year. Connecticut wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.79% of home value a year in Connecticut and 1.04% in Massachusetts (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $7,071 against $6,032, so Massachusetts has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35% in Connecticut and 6.25% in Massachusetts; Massachusetts 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, $11,159 in Massachusetts. Massachusetts is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Connecticut's cost of living index is 114 and Massachusetts's is 148, where 100 is the national average; Connecticut is about 30% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $395K in Connecticut and $580K in Massachusetts (Zillow, 2024), a $185K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Connecticut and $2,400 in Massachusetts.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Connecticut and $1,500 in Massachusetts, so Massachusetts is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 338 in Massachusetts (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 67% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in Connecticut against 1,283 in Massachusetts, again favoring Massachusetts.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Connecticut and 80 in Massachusetts (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.2-year edge for Massachusetts. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50 and Massachusetts's 1st, so Massachusetts scores better on care.
5.9% of Connecticut residents have no health insurance against 3.1% in Massachusetts, which favors Massachusetts. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut's K-12 schools 3rd in the country and Massachusetts's 1st, 2 places apart in Massachusetts'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 Massachusetts went to Harris by 28 points.
Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Massachusetts (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Connecticut and 30 in Massachusetts (under 50 is good), favoring Massachusetts.
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
6
Connecticut
10
Massachusetts
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Connecticut or Massachusetts better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Massachusetts on taxes ($11,159 a year for a median household against $11,843); Connecticut on everyday costs (index 114 against 148); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 338); Massachusetts on schools (ranked 1st against 3rd).
Which is cheaper, Connecticut or Massachusetts?
Connecticut is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 148. The median home is $395K in Connecticut and $580K in Massachusetts (2024). On state and local taxes Massachusetts saves a median household about $680 a year.
Does Connecticut or Massachusetts have lower taxes?
Massachusetts. 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 $11,159 in Massachusetts ($3,729 income tax, $6,032 property tax on the median home and $1,398 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Connecticut or Massachusetts?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 203 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 338 in Massachusetts; property crime is 1,380 against 1,283.
Which has better schools, Connecticut or Massachusetts?
Massachusetts. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut 3rd of 50 for K-12 and Massachusetts 1st.
Is Connecticut or Massachusetts better for retirees?
Massachusetts is friendlier to retirees on paper. Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Massachusetts 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 $6,032 in Massachusetts.