State comparison
Rhode Island vs California: which state is better to live in?
Rhode Island costs a median household about $1,000 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because its income tax takes 3.8% of a median income against 4.5% in California.
Rhode Island
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 11 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Rhode Island vs California
Rhode Island has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.99%, which works out to 3.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,797 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. Rhode Island wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.30% of home value a year in Rhode Island and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,590 against $5,609, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in Rhode Island and 8.82% in California; Rhode Island is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $9,953 a year in Rhode Island, $10,957 in California. Rhode Island is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Rhode Island's cost of living index is 114 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Rhode Island is about 25% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $430K in Rhode Island and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $360K gap in Rhode Island's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Rhode Island and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in Rhode Island and $2,100 in California, so Rhode Island is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 237 incidents per 100,000 residents in Rhode Island and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Rhode Island is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 111% lower. Property crime is 1,527 per 100,000 in Rhode Island against 2,027 in California, again favoring Rhode Island.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.1 years in Rhode Island and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.1-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Rhode Island's health system 4th of 50 and California's 13th, so Rhode Island scores better on care.
4.7% of Rhode Island residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors Rhode Island. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Rhode Island's K-12 schools 13th in the country and California's 20th, 7 places apart in Rhode Island's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Rhode Island went to Harris by 17 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Rhode Island has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of B; California has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so California regulates guns more tightly and Rhode Island 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 $14.00 an hour in Rhode Island and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Rhode Island (hurricane, nor-easter, flood) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Rhode Island is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 32 in Rhode Island and 62 in California (under 50 is good), favoring Rhode Island.
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
11
Rhode Island
5
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Rhode Island or California better to live in?
Rhode Island wins more of the measures that decide a move. Rhode Island on taxes ($9,953 a year for a median household against $10,957); Rhode Island on everyday costs (index 114 against 142); Rhode Island on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Rhode Island on schools (ranked 13th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, Rhode Island or California?
Rhode Island is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 142. The median home is $430K in Rhode Island and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Rhode Island saves a median household about $1,000 a year.
Does Rhode Island or California have lower taxes?
Rhode Island. A household earning $74,580 pays about $9,953 a year in Rhode Island ($2,797 income tax, $5,590 property tax on the median home and $1,566 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, Rhode Island or California?
Rhode Island, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 237 per 100,000 residents in Rhode Island and 499 in California; property crime is 1,527 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Rhode Island or California?
Rhode Island. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Rhode Island 13th of 50 for K-12 and California 20th.
Is Rhode Island or California better for retirees?
California is friendlier to retirees on paper. Rhode Island taxes 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 $5,590 a year in Rhode Island and $5,609 in California.