State comparison
Vermont vs California: which state is better to live in?
California costs a median household about $330 a year less in state and local taxes than Vermont, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $5,609 a year against $6,574 in Vermont, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 142 against 111).
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 12 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 3 categories
Taxes: Vermont vs California
Vermont has a graduated income tax topping out at 8.75%, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,317 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. Vermont wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Vermont and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,574 against $5,609, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.22% in Vermont and 8.82% in California; Vermont is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,282 a year in Vermont, $10,957 in California. California is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Vermont's cost of living index is 111 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Vermont is about 28% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $380K in Vermont and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $410K gap in Vermont's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Vermont and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $900 a year in Vermont and $2,100 in California, so Vermont is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 167 incidents per 100,000 residents in Vermont and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Vermont is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 199% lower. Property crime is 1,390 per 100,000 in Vermont against 2,027 in California, again favoring Vermont.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Vermont and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.6-year edge for Vermont. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Vermont's health system 5th of 50 and California's 13th, so Vermont scores better on care.
3.8% of Vermont residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors Vermont. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Vermont's K-12 schools 6th in the country and California's 20th, 14 places apart in Vermont's favor. Vermont runs a school-choice voucher program; California does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Vermont went to Harris by 31 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Vermont has permitless carry 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 Vermont 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 $13.67 an hour in Vermont and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Vermont is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 27 in Vermont and 62 in California (under 50 is good), favoring Vermont.
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
12
Vermont
3
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Vermont or California better to live in?
Vermont wins more of the measures that decide a move. California on taxes ($10,957 a year for a median household against $11,282); Vermont on everyday costs (index 111 against 142); Vermont on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Vermont on schools (ranked 6th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, Vermont or California?
Vermont is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 111 against 142. The median home is $380K in Vermont and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes California saves a median household about $330 a year.
Does Vermont or California have lower taxes?
California. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,282 a year in Vermont ($3,317 income tax, $6,574 property tax on the median home and $1,392 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, Vermont or California?
Vermont, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 167 per 100,000 residents in Vermont and 499 in California; property crime is 1,390 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Vermont or California?
Vermont. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Vermont 6th of 50 for K-12 and California 20th. Vermont also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Vermont or California better for retirees?
California is friendlier to retirees on paper. Vermont 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 $6,574 a year in Vermont and $5,609 in California.