State comparison
Florida vs Hawaii: which state is better to live in?
Florida costs a median household about $3,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Hawaii, mostly because it has no income tax.
Florida
Low tax burden · COL index 103
Wins 8 categories
Hawaii
Moderate tax burden · COL index 196
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Florida vs Hawaii
Florida has no state income tax. Hawaii has a graduated income tax topping out at 11%, which works out to 6.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,559 a year. Florida wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.77% of home value a year in Florida and 0.27% in Hawaii (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,196 against $2,268, so Hawaii has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.02% in Florida and 4.44% in Hawaii; Hawaii is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $4,766 a year in Florida, $7,821 in Hawaii. Florida is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Florida's cost of living index is 103 and Hawaii's is 196, where 100 is the national average; Florida is about 90% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $415K in Florida and $840K in Hawaii (Zillow, 2024), a $425K gap in Florida's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,900 a month in Florida and $2,500 in Hawaii.
Home insurance averages $3,500 a year in Florida and $500 in Hawaii, so Hawaii is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 387 incidents per 100,000 residents in Florida and 281 in Hawaii (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Hawaii is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 38% lower. Property crime is 1,882 per 100,000 in Florida against 2,480 in Hawaii, again favoring Florida.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.3 years in Florida and 80.7 in Hawaii (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.4-year edge for Hawaii. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Florida's health system 40th of 50 and Hawaii's 11th, so Hawaii scores better on care.
13.2% of Florida residents have no health insurance against 4.8% in Hawaii, which favors Hawaii. Hawaii expanded Medicaid and Florida did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Florida's K-12 schools 19th in the country and Hawaii's 25th, 6 places apart in Florida's favor. Florida runs a school-choice voucher program; Hawaii does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Florida went to Trump by 13 points and Hawaii went to Harris by 26 points.
Florida has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Hawaii has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Hawaii regulates guns more tightly and Florida is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Florida and protected by state law in Hawaii, and marijuana is medical only in Florida and legal for adults in Hawaii as of 2026. The minimum wage is $13.00 an hour in Florida and $14.00 in Hawaii.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Florida (hurricane, flood, tornado) and moderate in Hawaii (hurricane, tsunami, volcano), so Hawaii is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 28 in Florida and 18 in Hawaii (under 50 is good), favoring Hawaii.
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
Florida
7
Hawaii
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Florida or Hawaii better to live in?
Florida wins more of the measures that decide a move. Florida on taxes ($4,766 a year for a median household against $7,821); Florida on everyday costs (index 103 against 196); Hawaii on safety (281 violent crimes per 100,000 against 387); Florida on schools (ranked 19th against 25th).
Which is cheaper, Florida or Hawaii?
Florida is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 103 against 196. The median home is $415K in Florida and $840K in Hawaii (2024). On state and local taxes Florida saves a median household about $3,100 a year.
Does Florida or Hawaii have lower taxes?
Florida. A household earning $74,580 pays about $4,766 a year in Florida ($0 income tax, $3,196 property tax on the median home and $1,571 in sales tax) and $7,821 in Hawaii ($4,559 income tax, $2,268 property tax on the median home and $993 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Florida or Hawaii?
Hawaii, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 387 per 100,000 residents in Florida and 281 in Hawaii; property crime is 1,882 against 2,480.
Which has better schools, Florida or Hawaii?
Florida. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Florida 19th of 50 for K-12 and Hawaii 25th. Florida also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Florida or Hawaii better for retirees?
Florida is friendlier to retirees on paper. Florida does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Hawaii does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,196 a year in Florida and $2,268 in Hawaii.