State Tax Comparison Calculator
Compare income tax, property tax, and sales tax between any two US states. See which state saves you more at your income level, or rank all 50 states by total tax burden.
Estimates only. Actual taxes depend on local county rates, itemized deductions, credits, and exemptions. Not tax advice.
How to Use This Calculator
Pick 2 States tab
Select any two states from the dropdowns and enter your salary, home value, and annual taxable spending. The calculator computes state income tax (using 2026 brackets), property tax (state-average effective rate), and sales tax for each state, then shows the total side by side with the annual and 10-year difference.
Income Ladder tab
See how the same two states compare at five income levels ($50K, $80K, $120K, $200K, $500K). This reveals whether a state that wins at moderate income still wins at high income. No-income-tax states tend to dominate at high incomes, while states with low property and sales taxes may win at lower incomes.
All 50 Ranked tab
Enter your salary, home value, and spending to rank all 50 states plus DC by total tax burden. The top 5 cheapest and top 5 most expensive states are highlighted with a breakdown of income, property, and sales tax.
Share your result
Every input is encoded in the URL. Click Share to send your exact comparison to a spouse, financial advisor, or anyone considering a move.
The Formula
Total state tax burden is the sum of three components:
State Income Tax = brackets applied to (Salary − Standard Deduction)
Property Tax = Home Value × Effective Property Tax Rate
Sales Tax = Annual Taxable Spending × Combined Sales Tax Rate
For no-income-tax states (AK, FL, NH, NV, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY), the income tax component is zero. For flat-tax states (AZ, CO, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MI, NC, PA, UT), the income tax is a single rate applied to taxable income. For progressive states, brackets are applied in order from lowest to highest.
Property tax uses state-average effective rates. Actual rates vary significantly by county — for example, Texas averages 1.60% statewide but ranges from 0.4% in some rural counties to 2.5%+ in Houston suburbs.
Example
Sarah — Software engineer, $120K salary, considering TX vs CA
Home value $400,000, annual taxable spending $30,000, filing single.
Texas (no income tax)
California (progressive income tax)
At $120K, Texas saves Sarah roughly $2,337/year vs California. But at $500K income, the gap widens to $30,000+ because California’s top bracket is 13.3%. Conversely, if Sarah rented instead of owning, Texas would save even more since California’s property tax advantage disappears.
The Three State Taxes That Matter
Most people focus only on income tax when comparing states. That is a mistake. The total tax burden has three legs:
1. State income tax
Nine states have no income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Ten states have a flat rate (ranging from 2.5% in Arizona to 5.0% in Massachusetts). The remaining states use progressive brackets, with California’s top rate at 13.3% being the highest in the nation.
2. Property tax
This is often the largest tax for middle-income homeowners. New Jersey leads at 2.26% effective rate ($7,910 on a $350K home). Hawaii is lowest at 0.28% ($980 on a $350K home). No-income-tax states often compensate with higher property taxes — Texas averages 1.60%, New Hampshire 1.86%.
3. Sales tax
Five states have no sales tax: Alaska (limited local taxes), Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. Tennessee and Louisiana have the highest combined rates at 9.55% and 9.55% respectively. States with no income tax often have above-average sales taxes.