State comparison
Mississippi vs California: which state is better to live in?
Mississippi costs a median household about $5,600 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,152 a year against $5,609 in California.
Mississippi
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 9 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Mississippi vs California
Mississippi has a flat 4.7% income tax, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,583 a year. California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 a year. Mississippi wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.64% of home value a year in Mississippi and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,152 against $5,609, so Mississippi has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.07% in Mississippi and 8.82% in California; Mississippi is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,317 a year in Mississippi, $10,957 in California. Mississippi is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Mississippi's cost of living index is 82 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Mississippi is about 73% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $180K in Mississippi and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $610K gap in Mississippi's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $950 a month in Mississippi and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $2,500 a year in Mississippi and $2,100 in California, so California is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 283 incidents per 100,000 residents in Mississippi and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Mississippi is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 76% lower. Property crime is 2,080 per 100,000 in Mississippi against 2,027 in California, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 71.9 years in Mississippi and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 7.3-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Mississippi's health system 47th of 50 and California's 13th, so California scores better on care.
16.8% of Mississippi residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors California. California expanded Medicaid and Mississippi did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Mississippi's K-12 schools 50th in the country and California's 20th, 30 places apart in California's favor. Mississippi runs a school-choice voucher program; California does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Mississippi went to Trump by 17 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Mississippi has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; California has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so California regulates guns more tightly and Mississippi is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Mississippi and protected by state law in California, and marijuana is medical only in Mississippi and legal for adults in California as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Mississippi and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Mississippi (hurricane, tornado, flood) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Mississippi and 62 in California (under 50 is good), favoring Mississippi.
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
9
Mississippi
5
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Mississippi or California better to live in?
Mississippi wins more of the measures that decide a move. Mississippi on taxes ($5,317 a year for a median household against $10,957); Mississippi on everyday costs (index 82 against 142); Mississippi on safety (283 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 50th).
Which is cheaper, Mississippi or California?
Mississippi is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 142. The median home is $180K in Mississippi and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Mississippi saves a median household about $5,600 a year.
Does Mississippi or California have lower taxes?
Mississippi. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,317 a year in Mississippi ($2,583 income tax, $1,152 property tax on the median home and $1,582 in sales tax) and $10,957 in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Mississippi or California?
Mississippi, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 283 per 100,000 residents in Mississippi and 499 in California; property crime is 2,080 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Mississippi or California?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Mississippi 50th of 50 for K-12 and California 20th. Mississippi also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Mississippi or California better for retirees?
Mississippi is friendlier to retirees on paper. Mississippi does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,152 a year in Mississippi and $5,609 in California.