State comparison
Maryland vs Connecticut: which state is better to live in?
Maryland costs a median household about $2,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $4,074 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut.
Maryland
High tax burden · COL index 116
Wins 6 categories
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Maryland vs Connecticut
Maryland has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.75%, which works out to 4.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,490 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 0.97% of home value a year in Maryland and 1.79% in Connecticut (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,074 against $7,071, so Maryland has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.00% in Maryland and 6.35% in Connecticut; Maryland is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,906 a year in Maryland, $11,843 in Connecticut. Maryland is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Maryland's cost of living index is 116 and Connecticut's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Connecticut is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $420K in Maryland and $395K in Connecticut (Zillow, 2024), a $25K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,950 a month in Maryland and $1,800 in Connecticut.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Maryland and $1,600 in Connecticut.
Safety
Violent crime runs 468 incidents per 100,000 residents in Maryland and 203 in Connecticut (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 131% lower. Property crime is 1,734 per 100,000 in Maryland against 1,380 in Connecticut, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.4 years in Maryland and 79.8 in Connecticut (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.4-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Maryland's health system 12th of 50 and Connecticut's 3rd, so Connecticut scores better on care.
6.5% of Maryland residents have no health insurance against 5.9% in Connecticut, which favors Connecticut. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maryland's K-12 schools 4th in the country and Connecticut's 3rd, 1 places apart in Connecticut's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Maryland went to Harris by 24 points and Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points.
Maryland 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 $15.00 an hour in Maryland and $15.69 in Connecticut.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Maryland (hurricane, flood) and moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Maryland and 32 in Connecticut (under 50 is good), favoring Connecticut.
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
6
Maryland
8
Connecticut
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Maryland or Connecticut better to live in?
Connecticut wins more of the measures that decide a move. Maryland on taxes ($8,906 a year for a median household against $11,843); Connecticut on everyday costs (index 114 against 116); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 468); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 4th).
Which is cheaper, Maryland or Connecticut?
Connecticut is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 116. The median home is $420K in Maryland and $395K in Connecticut (2024). On state and local taxes Maryland saves a median household about $2,900 a year.
Does Maryland or Connecticut have lower taxes?
Maryland. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,906 a year in Maryland ($3,490 income tax, $4,074 property tax on the median home and $1,342 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, Maryland or Connecticut?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 468 per 100,000 residents in Maryland and 203 in Connecticut; property crime is 1,734 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Maryland or Connecticut?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maryland 4th of 50 for K-12 and Connecticut 3rd.
Is Maryland or Connecticut better for retirees?
Maryland is friendlier to retirees on paper. Maryland does not tax Social Security, partly 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 $4,074 a year in Maryland and $7,071 in Connecticut.