State comparison
Connecticut vs Vermont: which state is better to live in?
Vermont costs a median household about $560 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $6,574 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut.
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 3 categories
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Connecticut vs Vermont
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. Vermont has a graduated income tax topping out at 8.75%, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,317 a year. Vermont wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.79% of home value a year in Connecticut and 1.73% in Vermont (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $7,071 against $6,574, so Vermont has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35% in Connecticut and 6.22% in Vermont; Vermont 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, $11,282 in Vermont. Vermont is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Connecticut's cost of living index is 114 and Vermont's is 111, where 100 is the national average; Vermont is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $395K in Connecticut and $380K in Vermont (Zillow, 2024), a $15K gap in Vermont's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Connecticut and $1,600 in Vermont.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Connecticut and $900 in Vermont, so Vermont is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 167 in Vermont (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Vermont is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 22% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in Connecticut against 1,390 in Vermont, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Connecticut and 79.8 in Vermont (County Health Rankings, 2024). The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50 and Vermont's 5th, so Connecticut scores better on care.
5.9% of Connecticut residents have no health insurance against 3.8% in Vermont, which favors Vermont. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut's K-12 schools 3rd in the country and Vermont's 6th, 3 places apart in Connecticut's favor. Vermont runs a school-choice voucher program; Connecticut does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points and Vermont went to Harris by 31 points.
Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Vermont has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so Connecticut regulates guns more tightly and Vermont 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 $13.67 in Vermont.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard) and low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter), so Vermont is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 32 in Connecticut and 27 in Vermont (under 50 is good), favoring Vermont.
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
3
Connecticut
10
Vermont
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Connecticut or Vermont better to live in?
Vermont wins more of the measures that decide a move. Vermont on taxes ($11,282 a year for a median household against $11,843); Vermont on everyday costs (index 111 against 114); Vermont on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 203); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 6th).
Which is cheaper, Connecticut or Vermont?
Vermont is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 111 against 114. The median home is $395K in Connecticut and $380K in Vermont (2024). On state and local taxes Vermont saves a median household about $560 a year.
Does Connecticut or Vermont have lower taxes?
Vermont. 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 $11,282 in Vermont ($3,317 income tax, $6,574 property tax on the median home and $1,392 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Connecticut or Vermont?
Vermont, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 203 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 167 in Vermont; property crime is 1,380 against 1,390.
Which has better schools, Connecticut or Vermont?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut 3rd of 50 for K-12 and Vermont 6th. Vermont also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Connecticut or Vermont better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Vermont taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $7,071 a year in Connecticut and $6,574 in Vermont.