Cost of Living · Updated June 2026

Tax and cost of living comparison by state

Taxes and living costs are usually compared on separate pages, which is exactly how people end up in "cheap" states with expensive lives. This page fuses them: every covered state's income-tax regime, sales tax, property tax, and COL index in one sortable view.

The fusion produces non-obvious winners: flat-tax Indiana (2.95%, index 91) beats several no-tax states for many profiles once property taxes and rents enter; California's 13.3% headline overstates what mid-income households actually pay (effective ~5–6% at $100k).

Cost of living calculator

I live in

Comparing to

Household

My gross salary (USD/year)

Equivalent salary

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Budget A: –
Budget B: –
Rent share of pay A: –
Rent share of pay B: –

Line-by-line, monthly

Item	A	B	Δ

Composite 2026 index incl. centre rent (NYC = 100). Salary figures are gross – taxes not included; pair with the salary after tax calculator.

Key insights

$100k nets $79,180 (TX) to $71,439 (OR) across covered states.
Integrated rank ≠ tax rank ≠ cost rank – fuse before deciding.
Indiana-class flat-tax states quietly beat some no-tax states.
Effective CA tax at $100k is ~5–6%, not the 13.3% headline.
Choose by profile: renter, owner, or high-earner math all differ.

States compared: cost of living and total tax picture (2026)
State	COL index	Income tax	Sales tax	Property tax
Tennessee	90	None	9.6%	0.48%
Indiana	91	2.95% flat	7.0%	0.84%
Michigan	91	4.25% flat	6.0%	1.24%
Texas	92	None	8.2%	1.58%
Ohio	92	2.75% flat	7.2%	1.59%
Georgia	92	5.19% flat	7.4%	0.72%
Illinois	94	4.95% flat	8.9%	2.11%
Pennsylvania	95	3.07% flat	6.3%	1.41%
South Carolina	95	≤ 6.2%	7.5%	0.46%
North Carolina	96	3.99% flat	7.0%	0.63%
Minnesota	97	≤ 9.85%	8.0%	0.98%
Nevada	101	None	8.2%	0.55%
Florida	102	None	7.0%	0.79%
Virginia	102	≤ 5.75%	5.8%	0.72%
Utah	103	4.55% flat	7.3%	0.55%
Arizona	103	2.5% flat	8.4%	0.56%
Colorado	105	4.4% flat	7.8%	0.55%
Oregon	110	≤ 9.9%	0.0%	0.86%
Maryland	113	≤ 5.75%	6.0%	0.95%
Washington	114	None	9.4%	0.84%
New Jersey	115	≤ 10.75%	6.6%	1.77%
Connecticut	116	≤ 6.99%	6.3%	1.78%
New York	123	≤ 10.9%	8.5%	1.54%
Massachusetts	127	5% flat	6.3%	1.04%
California	134	≤ 13.3%	8.8%	0.75%

How to read the combined table

Pick your dominant exposure first. Wage earners: weight income tax + rents (run your salary on each state page – $100k nets between $71,439 (Oregon) and $79,180 (Texas) across the covered set). Owners: weight property tax + medians. Heavy spenders: sales tax matters at the margin (5.8 points of spread).

Then add the index: a 3-point tax saving drowns inside a 20-point cost gap. The integrated rank, not either column alone, is the decision variable.

Representative profiles

Remote $120k renter: Tennessee/Texas-class states win – full income-tax saving, low rents, sales tax barely dents the gain. Equity-rich buyer: North Carolina/Indiana-class states – low property tax preserves the win after purchase. High earner near $1M: watch the surcharge states (MA millionaires tax, CA 13.3%, NY top brackets) where the marginal dollar loses 9–13 cents extra.

Profiles beat averages: the same five states reorder completely across these three movers. The calculator on every state page runs your exact case.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which state has the best tax + cost combination?

For most renting wage-earners in 2026: Tennessee (index 90, no income tax). For owners: Indiana or North Carolina (low property tax on cheap homes). No single state wins every profile.

Is California really the worst?

For top earners, its 13.3% top rate plus index 134 is the priciest combination. At $100k, effective state tax is ~5–6% – costly, but the housing line, not the tax line, is what breaks budgets.

How do no-tax states fund themselves?

Sales tax (TN 9.55%, WA 9.43%), property tax (TX 1.58%), and tourism/extraction revenue (NV, FL). You pay through whichever channel matches your spending pattern.

What's the integrated math for a $100k remote worker?

Take state net pay ($79,180 in TX vs $73,877 in CA), subtract 12× local rent, and compare disposable income – the two-line calculation this site automates per state.

Do these figures use 2026 rules?

Yes: 2026 brackets and phased flat-tax rates (NC 3.99%, IN 2.95%, OH 2.75%), 2026 federal standard deductions, and current-year cost indexes.

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