State comparison
Connecticut vs Washington: which state is better to live in?
Washington costs a median household about $5,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 117 against 114).
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 10 categories
Washington
Moderate tax burden · COL index 117
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Connecticut vs Washington
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. Washington has no state income tax. Washington wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.79% of home value a year in Connecticut and 0.84% in Washington (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $7,071 against $4,788, so Washington has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35% in Connecticut and 9.38% in Washington; Connecticut is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $12,143 a year in Connecticut, $6,887 in Washington. Washington is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Connecticut's cost of living index is 114 and Washington's is 117, where 100 is the national average; Connecticut is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $395K in Connecticut and $570K in Washington (Zillow, 2024), a $175K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Connecticut and $2,000 in Washington.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Connecticut and $900 in Washington, so Washington is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 347 in Washington (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 71% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in Connecticut against 3,187 in Washington, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Connecticut and 79.3 in Washington (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.5-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50 and Washington's 10th, so Connecticut scores better on care.
5.9% of Connecticut residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Washington, 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 Washington's 7th, 4 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 Washington went to Harris by 16 points.
Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Washington has shall-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 $16.28 in Washington.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard) and high in Washington (wildfire, earthquake, flood), so Connecticut is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 32 in Connecticut and 40 in Washington (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
10
Connecticut
6
Washington
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Connecticut or Washington better to live in?
Connecticut wins more of the measures that decide a move. Washington on taxes ($6,887 a year for a median household against $12,143); Connecticut on everyday costs (index 114 against 117); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 347); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 7th).
Which is cheaper, Connecticut or Washington?
Connecticut is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 117. The median home is $395K in Connecticut and $570K in Washington (2024). On state and local taxes Washington saves a median household about $5,300 a year.
Does Connecticut or Washington have lower taxes?
Washington. 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 $6,887 in Washington ($0 income tax, $4,788 property tax on the median home and $2,099 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Connecticut or Washington?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 203 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 347 in Washington; property crime is 1,380 against 3,187.
Which has better schools, Connecticut or Washington?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut 3rd of 50 for K-12 and Washington 7th.
Is Connecticut or Washington better for retirees?
Washington is friendlier to retirees on paper. Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Washington 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 $4,788 in Washington.