State comparison
Oregon vs California: which state is better to live in?
Oregon costs a median household about $810 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because it has no sales tax.
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 9 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Oregon vs California
Oregon has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.9%, which works out to 8.3% on a median income of $74,580, or $6,207 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. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.82% of home value a year in Oregon and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,936 against $5,609, so California has the lower rate.
Oregon has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,143 a year in Oregon, $10,957 in California. Oregon is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Oregon's cost of living index is 110 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Oregon is about 29% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $480K in Oregon and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $310K gap in Oregon's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month in Oregon and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Oregon and $2,100 in California, so Oregon is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 302 incidents per 100,000 residents in Oregon and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Oregon is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 65% lower. Property crime is 3,078 per 100,000 in Oregon against 2,027 in California, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 78 years in Oregon and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.2-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Oregon's health system 14th of 50 and California's 13th, so California scores better on care.
7.1% of Oregon 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 Oregon's K-12 schools 21st in the country and California's 20th, 1 places apart in California's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Oregon went to Harris by 14 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; California has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so California regulates guns more tightly and Oregon is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.70 an hour in Oregon and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Oregon is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Oregon and 62 in California (under 50 is good), favoring Oregon.
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
Oregon
6
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Oregon or California better to live in?
Oregon wins more of the measures that decide a move. Oregon on taxes ($10,143 a year for a median household against $10,957); Oregon on everyday costs (index 110 against 142); Oregon on safety (302 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 21st).
Which is cheaper, Oregon or California?
Oregon is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 110 against 142. The median home is $480K in Oregon and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Oregon saves a median household about $810 a year.
Does Oregon or California have lower taxes?
Oregon. A household earning $74,580 pays about $10,143 a year in Oregon ($6,207 income tax, $3,936 property tax on the median home and $0 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, Oregon or California?
Oregon, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 302 per 100,000 residents in Oregon and 499 in California; property crime is 3,078 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Oregon or California?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oregon 21st of 50 for K-12 and California 20th.
Is Oregon or California better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Oregon does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate 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 $3,936 a year in Oregon and $5,609 in California.