State comparison
Tennessee vs California: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $7,200 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,575 a year against $5,609 in California.
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 9 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Tennessee vs California
Tennessee has no state income tax. 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. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.45% of home value a year in Tennessee and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,575 against $5,609, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.55% in Tennessee and 8.82% in California; California is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $3,712 a year in Tennessee, $10,957 in California. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Tennessee's cost of living index is 92 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Tennessee is about 54% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Tennessee and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $440K gap in Tennessee's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Tennessee and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $2,000 a year in Tennessee and $2,100 in California, so Tennessee is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 668 incidents per 100,000 residents in Tennessee and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); California is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 34% lower. Property crime is 2,752 per 100,000 in Tennessee against 2,027 in California, again favoring California.
Health
Life expectancy is 74.2 years in Tennessee and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.0-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Tennessee's health system 39th of 50 and California's 13th, so California scores better on care.
10.4% of Tennessee residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors California. California expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Tennessee's K-12 schools 41st in the country and California's 20th, 21 places apart in California's favor. Tennessee runs a school-choice voucher program; California does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Tennessee 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 Tennessee is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Tennessee and protected by state law in California, and marijuana is illegal in Tennessee and legal for adults in California as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Tennessee and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Tennessee is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in Tennessee and 62 in California (under 50 is good), favoring Tennessee.
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
Tennessee
6
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Tennessee or California better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $10,957); Tennessee on everyday costs (index 92 against 142); California on safety (499 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); California on schools (ranked 20th against 41st).
Which is cheaper, Tennessee or California?
Tennessee is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 142. The median home is $350K in Tennessee and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $7,200 a year.
Does Tennessee or California have lower taxes?
Tennessee. A household earning $74,580 pays about $3,712 a year in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 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, Tennessee or California?
California, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 668 per 100,000 residents in Tennessee and 499 in California; property crime is 2,752 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Tennessee or California?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Tennessee 41st of 50 for K-12 and California 20th. Tennessee also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Tennessee or California better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Tennessee 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 $1,575 a year in Tennessee and $5,609 in California.