State comparison
Missouri vs California: which state is better to live in?
Missouri costs a median household about $3,700 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,112 a year against $5,609 in California.
Missouri
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 7 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Missouri vs California
Missouri has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.7%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,325 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. Missouri wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.88% of home value a year in Missouri and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,112 against $5,609, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.33% in Missouri and 8.82% in California; Missouri is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,300 a year in Missouri, $10,957 in California. Missouri is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Missouri's cost of living index is 86 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Missouri is about 65% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $240K in Missouri and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $550K gap in Missouri's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Missouri and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Missouri and $2,100 in California, so California is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 581 incidents per 100,000 residents in Missouri and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); California is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 16% lower. Property crime is 2,695 per 100,000 in Missouri against 2,027 in California, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.3 years in Missouri and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.9-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Missouri's health system 43rd of 50 and California's 13th, so California scores better on care.
8.2% of Missouri residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors California. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Missouri's K-12 schools 33rd in the country and California's 20th, 13 places apart in California's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Missouri went to Trump by 19 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Missouri 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 Missouri is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Missouri and protected by state law in California, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.30 an hour in Missouri and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Missouri (tornado, flood, ice-storm) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Missouri is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Missouri and 62 in California (under 50 is good), favoring Missouri.
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
7
Missouri
8
California
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 Missouri or California better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Missouri on taxes ($7,300 a year for a median household against $10,957); Missouri on everyday costs (index 86 against 142); California on safety (499 violent crimes per 100,000 against 581); California on schools (ranked 20th against 33rd).
Which is cheaper, Missouri or California?
Missouri is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 142. The median home is $240K in Missouri and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Missouri saves a median household about $3,700 a year.
Does Missouri or California have lower taxes?
Missouri. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,300 a year in Missouri ($3,325 income tax, $2,112 property tax on the median home and $1,864 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, Missouri or California?
California, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 581 per 100,000 residents in Missouri and 499 in California; property crime is 2,695 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Missouri or California?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Missouri 33rd of 50 for K-12 and California 20th.
Is Missouri or California better for retirees?
California is friendlier to retirees on paper. Missouri taxes Social Security, partly 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 $2,112 a year in Missouri and $5,609 in California.