State comparison
Connecticut vs Oregon: which state is better to live in?
Oregon costs a median household about $3,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,936 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut.
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 7 categories
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Connecticut vs Oregon
Connecticut has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.99%, which works out to 4.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,652 a year. Oregon has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.9%, which works out to 7.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $5,256 a year. Connecticut wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.79% of home value a year in Connecticut and 0.82% in Oregon (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $7,071 against $3,936, so Oregon has the lower rate.
Oregon has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35% in Connecticut.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $12,143 a year in Connecticut, $9,192 in Oregon. Oregon is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Connecticut's cost of living index is 114 and Oregon's is 110, where 100 is the national average; Oregon is about 4% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $395K in Connecticut and $480K in Oregon (Zillow, 2024), a $85K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Connecticut and $1,700 in Oregon.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Connecticut and $800 in Oregon, so Oregon is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 302 in Oregon (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 49% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in Connecticut against 3,078 in Oregon, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Connecticut and 78 in Oregon (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.8-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50 and Oregon's 14th, so Connecticut scores better on care.
5.9% of Connecticut residents have no health insurance against 7.1% in Oregon, 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 Oregon's 21st, 18 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 Oregon went to Harris by 14 points.
Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Connecticut regulates guns more tightly and Oregon 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 $15.69 an hour in Connecticut and $14.70 in Oregon.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard) and high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood), so Connecticut is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 32 in Connecticut and 50 in Oregon (under 50 is good), favoring Connecticut.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
7
Connecticut
8
Oregon
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Connecticut or Oregon better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Oregon on taxes ($9,192 a year for a median household against $12,143); Oregon on everyday costs (index 110 against 114); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 302); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 21st).
Which is cheaper, Connecticut or Oregon?
Oregon is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 110 against 114. The median home is $395K in Connecticut and $480K in Oregon (2024). On state and local taxes Oregon saves a median household about $3,000 a year.
Does Connecticut or Oregon have lower taxes?
Oregon. A household earning $74,580 pays about $12,143 a year in Connecticut ($3,652 income tax, $7,071 property tax on the median home and $1,421 in sales tax) and $9,192 in Oregon ($5,256 income tax, $3,936 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Connecticut or Oregon?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 203 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 302 in Oregon; property crime is 1,380 against 3,078.
Which has better schools, Connecticut or Oregon?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut 3rd of 50 for K-12 and Oregon 21st.
Is Connecticut or Oregon better for retirees?
Oregon is friendlier to retirees on paper. Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Oregon 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 $3,936 in Oregon.