State comparison
Massachusetts vs Connecticut: which state is better to live in?
Massachusetts costs a median household about $680 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $6,032 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 148 against 114).
Massachusetts
High tax burden · COL index 148
Wins 10 categories
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Massachusetts vs Connecticut
Massachusetts has a graduated income tax topping out at 9%, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,729 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 1.04% of home value a year in Massachusetts and 1.79% in Connecticut (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,032 against $7,071, so Massachusetts has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.25% in Massachusetts and 6.35% in Connecticut; Massachusetts is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,159 a year in Massachusetts, $11,843 in Connecticut. Massachusetts is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Massachusetts's cost of living index is 148 and Connecticut's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Connecticut is about 30% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $580K in Massachusetts and $395K in Connecticut (Zillow, 2024), a $185K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,400 a month in Massachusetts and $1,800 in Connecticut.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Massachusetts and $1,600 in Connecticut, so Massachusetts is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 338 incidents per 100,000 residents in Massachusetts and 203 in Connecticut (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 67% lower. Property crime is 1,283 per 100,000 in Massachusetts against 1,380 in Connecticut, again favoring Massachusetts.
Health
Life expectancy is 80 years in Massachusetts and 79.8 in Connecticut (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.2-year edge for Massachusetts. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Massachusetts's health system 1st of 50 and Connecticut's 3rd, so Massachusetts scores better on care.
3.1% of Massachusetts residents have no health insurance against 5.9% in Connecticut, which favors Massachusetts. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Massachusetts's K-12 schools 1st in the country and Connecticut's 3rd, 2 places apart in Massachusetts's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Massachusetts went to Harris by 28 points and Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points.
Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts and $15.69 in Connecticut.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Massachusetts (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 30 in Massachusetts and 32 in Connecticut (under 50 is good), favoring Massachusetts.
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
10
Massachusetts
6
Connecticut
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Massachusetts or Connecticut better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Massachusetts on taxes ($11,159 a year for a median household against $11,843); Connecticut on everyday costs (index 114 against 148); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 338); Massachusetts on schools (ranked 1st against 3rd).
Which is cheaper, Massachusetts or Connecticut?
Connecticut is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 148. The median home is $580K in Massachusetts and $395K in Connecticut (2024). On state and local taxes Massachusetts saves a median household about $680 a year.
Does Massachusetts or Connecticut have lower taxes?
Massachusetts. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,159 a year in Massachusetts ($3,729 income tax, $6,032 property tax on the median home and $1,398 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, Massachusetts or Connecticut?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 338 per 100,000 residents in Massachusetts and 203 in Connecticut; property crime is 1,283 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Massachusetts or Connecticut?
Massachusetts. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Massachusetts 1st of 50 for K-12 and Connecticut 3rd.
Is Massachusetts or Connecticut better for retirees?
Massachusetts is friendlier to retirees on paper. Massachusetts 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 $6,032 a year in Massachusetts and $7,071 in Connecticut.