State comparison
Hawaii vs Connecticut: which state is better to live in?
Hawaii costs a median household about $4,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,268 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 196 against 114).
Hawaii
Moderate tax burden · COL index 196
Wins 8 categories
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Hawaii vs Connecticut
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. 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. Connecticut wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.27% of home value a year in Hawaii and 1.79% in Connecticut (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,268 against $7,071, so Hawaii has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 4.44% in Hawaii and 6.35% in Connecticut; Hawaii is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,821 a year in Hawaii, $11,843 in Connecticut. Hawaii is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Hawaii's cost of living index is 196 and Connecticut's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Connecticut is about 72% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $840K in Hawaii and $395K in Connecticut (Zillow, 2024), a $445K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,500 a month in Hawaii and $1,800 in Connecticut.
Home insurance averages $500 a year in Hawaii and $1,600 in Connecticut, so Hawaii is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 281 incidents per 100,000 residents in Hawaii and 203 in Connecticut (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 38% lower. Property crime is 2,480 per 100,000 in Hawaii against 1,380 in Connecticut, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 80.7 years in Hawaii and 79.8 in Connecticut (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.9-year edge for Hawaii. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Hawaii's health system 11th of 50 and Connecticut's 3rd, so Connecticut scores better on care.
4.8% of Hawaii residents have no health insurance against 5.9% in Connecticut, which favors Hawaii. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Hawaii's K-12 schools 25th in the country and Connecticut's 3rd, 22 places apart in Connecticut's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Hawaii went to Harris by 26 points and Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points.
Hawaii has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Connecticut 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 $14.00 an hour in Hawaii and $15.69 in Connecticut.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Hawaii (hurricane, tsunami, volcano) and moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 18 in Hawaii and 32 in Connecticut (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
Hawaii
8
Connecticut
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Hawaii or Connecticut better to live in?
Connecticut wins more of the measures that decide a move. Hawaii on taxes ($7,821 a year for a median household against $11,843); Connecticut on everyday costs (index 114 against 196); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 281); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 25th).
Which is cheaper, Hawaii or Connecticut?
Connecticut is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 196. The median home is $840K in Hawaii and $395K in Connecticut (2024). On state and local taxes Hawaii saves a median household about $4,000 a year.
Does Hawaii or Connecticut have lower taxes?
Hawaii. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,821 a year in Hawaii ($4,559 income tax, $2,268 property tax on the median home and $993 in sales tax) and $11,843 in Connecticut ($3,352 income tax, $7,071 property tax on the median home and $1,421 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Hawaii or Connecticut?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 281 per 100,000 residents in Hawaii and 203 in Connecticut; property crime is 2,480 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Hawaii or Connecticut?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Hawaii 25th of 50 for K-12 and Connecticut 3rd.
Is Hawaii or Connecticut better for retirees?
Hawaii is friendlier to retirees on paper. Hawaii does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,268 a year in Hawaii and $7,071 in Connecticut.