State comparison
Vermont vs Connecticut: which state is better to live in?
Vermont costs a median household about $560 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $6,574 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut.
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 10 categories
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 3 categories
Taxes: Vermont vs Connecticut
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. Connecticut has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.99%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,352 a year. Vermont wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Vermont and 1.79% in Connecticut (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,574 against $7,071, so Vermont has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.22% in Vermont and 6.35% in Connecticut; 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, $11,843 in Connecticut. Vermont is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Vermont's cost of living index is 111 and Connecticut's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Vermont is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $380K in Vermont and $395K in Connecticut (Zillow, 2024), a $15K gap in Vermont's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Vermont and $1,800 in Connecticut.
Home insurance averages $900 a year in Vermont and $1,600 in Connecticut, so Vermont is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 167 incidents per 100,000 residents in Vermont and 203 in Connecticut (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Vermont is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 22% lower. Property crime is 1,390 per 100,000 in Vermont against 1,380 in Connecticut, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Vermont and 79.8 in Connecticut (County Health Rankings, 2024). The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Vermont's health system 5th of 50 and Connecticut's 3rd, so Connecticut scores better on care.
3.8% of Vermont residents have no health insurance against 5.9% in Connecticut, 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 Connecticut's 3rd, 3 places apart in Connecticut's favor. Vermont runs a school-choice voucher program; Connecticut does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Vermont went to Harris by 31 points and Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points.
Vermont has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of B-; Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Connecticut 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 $15.69 in Connecticut.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard), so Vermont is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 27 in Vermont and 32 in Connecticut (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
10
Vermont
3
Connecticut
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Vermont or Connecticut better to live in?
Vermont wins more of the measures that decide a move. Vermont on taxes ($11,282 a year for a median household against $11,843); Vermont on everyday costs (index 111 against 114); Vermont on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 203); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 6th).
Which is cheaper, Vermont or Connecticut?
Vermont is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 111 against 114. The median home is $380K in Vermont and $395K in Connecticut (2024). On state and local taxes Vermont saves a median household about $560 a year.
Does Vermont or Connecticut have lower taxes?
Vermont. 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 $11,843 in Connecticut ($3,352 income tax, $7,071 property tax on the median home and $1,421 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Vermont or Connecticut?
Vermont, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 167 per 100,000 residents in Vermont and 203 in Connecticut; property crime is 1,390 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Vermont or Connecticut?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Vermont 6th of 50 for K-12 and Connecticut 3rd. Vermont also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Vermont or Connecticut better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Vermont taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $6,574 a year in Vermont and $7,071 in Connecticut.