A state-by-state register. Property tax, sales tax, residency rules, and the honest math on whether moving saves you money. No income tax is marketing, not arithmetic.
Washington has enacted a 9.9% tax on household income above $1 million from 2028, and voters rejected its repeal (Initiative 645) on 3 November 2026. What it means
In Brief
§ I · The Register
Each state on file. Burden grade, property and sales rates, and a one-line characterisation. Click any card for the full breakdown.
FILING NO. 01
AK · 733K
Burden
AA
Property
0.94%
Sales
0% state
CoL
124.5
No income or state sales tax. PFD paid $1,000 per resident in 2025.
Read the filing →
FILING NO. 02
FL · 22.6M
Burden
A+
Property
0.78%
Sales
6.98% avg
CoL
100.8
Most popular retirement destination. Moderate property tax.
Read the filing →
FILING NO. 03
NV · 3.2M
Burden
A
Property
0.50%
Sales
8.24% avg
CoL
105.4
Lowest property tax. Gaming taxes fund the state budget.
Read the filing →
FILING NO. 04
NH · 1.4M
Burden
BBB
Property
1.50%
Sales
0% state
CoL
108.5
No income tax on wages, no sales tax. Very high property tax.
Read the filing →
FILING NO. 05
SD · 0.9M
Burden
AA
Property
1.00%
Sales
6.11% avg
CoL
93.5
Low cost of living. Favorable trust laws. Very small population.
Read the filing →
FILING NO. 06
TN · 7.1M
Burden
BBB
Property
0.52%
Sales
9.61% avg
CoL
89.7
Second-highest combined sales tax in the nation. Low cost of living.
Read the filing →
FILING NO. 07
TX · 30.5M
Burden
A
Property
1.40%
Sales
8.20% avg
CoL
90.8
Constitutionally banned income tax. 7th highest property tax.
Read the filing →
FILING NO. 08
WA · 7.8M
Burden
BBB
Property
0.75%
Sales
9.51% avg
CoL
115.1
9.9% tax on income above $1M from 2028 (repeal rejected 3 Nov 2026). Capital gains tax. High sales tax.
Read the filing →
FILING NO. 09
WY · 0.6M
Burden
AAA
Property
0.53%
Sales
5.56% avg
CoL
94.4
One of the lowest total tax burdens. Very low population.
Read the filing →
* NEW HAMPSHIRE REPEALED ITS INTEREST AND DIVIDENDS TAX EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2025. IT NOW HAS NO INCOME TAX OF ANY KIND AND NO TAX ON WAGES OR SALARY. CoL INDEX: C2ER COMPOSITE, 100 = NATIONAL AVERAGE. SOURCE: MERIC COST OF LIVING DATA SERIES, SECOND QUARTER 2026.
§ II · THE THESIS
The Texan homeowner on a $450,000 house pays approximately $7,200 in property tax per year. A Californian in the same house pays around $3,195. That $4,000 spread often exceeds the income tax California would have charged a median earner.
Tennessee posts the second-highest combined sales tax in the nation at 9.61% (behind Louisiana). New Hampshire posts the fifth-highest property tax at 1.50%. Washington introduced a capital gains tax in 2022, now 7% above a $278,000 deduction and 9.9% above $1 million. The marketing line says no income tax. The arithmetic is more complicated.
→ Run the calculator below with your numbers, not someone else's.
§ III · Field Notes
Three case studies. Real numbers. No spin.
Texas ranks 7th in property tax nationally at 1.40% (Tax Foundation 2026 edition, 2024 data). On a $450K home that is about $6,300 a year in property tax alone, against about $3,150 at California's 0.70% average rate. For a middle-income homeowner, that gap eats a large share of the income-tax saving.
Tennessee's combined sales tax averages 9.61%, the second-highest in the nation behind Louisiana (Tax Foundation, 1 Jan 2026). A household spending $45,000 on taxable goods pays about $4,325 in sales tax a year at that average. Groceries are taxed at a reduced 4% state rate plus local tax.
New Hampshire has no income tax on wages and no sales tax. But property taxes average 1.50%, fifth highest in the nation (Tax Foundation 2026 edition, 2024 data). On a $500,000 home that is about $7,500 a year, which for many retirees is more than a typical state income tax bill on modest retirement income.
§ IV · Instrument
Enter your financial details to see your estimated total state and local tax burden in every state, ranked from lowest to highest. Income tax is only one column.
Inputs
$100,000/yr
$400,000
Auto: 35% = $35,000
Shows savings vs current
Output / Ranked Burden Estimate
| No. | State↕ | Income↕ | Total▲ | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | WyomingNO INC TAX | $0 | $4,066 | -$9,196 |
| 02 | AlaskaNO INC TAX | $0 | $4,397 | -$8,865 |
| 03 | NevadaNO INC TAX | $0 | $4,884 | -$8,378 |
| 04 | TennesseeNO INC TAX | $0 | $5,443 | -$7,819 |
| 05 | Montana | $3,108 | $5,548 | -$7,714 |
| 06 | FloridaNO INC TAX | $0 | $5,563 | -$7,699 |
| 07 | Delaware | $3,630 | $5,790 | -$7,472 |
| 08 | New HampshireNO INC TAX | $0 | $6,000 | -$7,262 |
| 09 | South DakotaNO INC TAX | $0 | $6,139 | -$7,123 |
| 10 | Arizona | $1,375 | $6,277 | -$6,985 |
| 11 | WashingtonNO INC TAX | $0 | $6,329 | -$6,933 |
| 12 | Kentucky | $1,925 | $6,985 | -$6,277 |
| 13 | Idaho | $2,915 | $6,986 | -$6,276 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $2,200 | $6,991 | -$6,271 |
| 15 | Utah | $2,475 | $6,992 | -$6,270 |
Simplified estimates using average effective rates. Actual liability varies. Not tax advice.
§ V · The Verdict by Persona
The benefit varies dramatically by income, lifestyle, and life stage. See the full ranking.
Strong benefit
Income tax savings of $10,000 to $30,000+ per year typically outweigh property or sales tax increases. The higher the income, the more compelling the move.
Significant benefit
Social Security is not state-taxed in any of the 9 states. Pension and 401(k) withdrawals are also exempt. Lower spending reduces the sales tax impact.
Strong benefit (with caveats)
Keep a high-city salary while living in a no-tax state. Caveat: if your employer is in NY, CT, DE, NE, or PA, the convenience-of-employer rule may still apply.
Mixed results
Income tax savings of $2,000 to $4,000 per year are real but modest. Higher property or sales taxes in the destination state can close or reverse the gap.
Depends on structure
Pass-through income benefits directly. C-corps face separate corporate rules. Washington has B&O tax; Texas has franchise tax. Wyoming and South Dakota are cleanest.
Minimal or negative
Little income tax liability to begin with. High sales taxes in states like Tennessee are regressive and can cost low-income households more than they save.
§ VI · Index
Dedicated pages for each state with property tax breakdowns, sales tax detail, retirement implications, residency rules, and an honest verdict.
§ VII · Head-to-Head
Side-by-side tax breakdowns for the most common state-vs-state decisions.
Comparison
Florida vs Texas
The two biggest no-tax states
Comparison
Tennessee vs Florida
Lowest CoL vs sunshine state
Comparison
Texas vs Tennessee
Property tax vs sales tax
Comparison
Nevada vs Florida
West coast vs east coast
Comparison
Texas vs Nevada
Big economy vs lowest property tax
Comparison
Florida vs Washington
WA's 7% capital gains tax catch
Comparison
Wyoming vs Texas
Lowest burden vs deepest economy
Comparison
Wyoming vs South Dakota
The two prairie champions
§ VII.5 · Migration Dossiers
Per-route migration math for the canonical high-tax-state-to-no-tax-state moves. Income tax saving, property tax delta, hurricane / insurance offsets, exit-tax myths, residency-audit defence.
Dossier
California to Texas
$200K earner saves about $10,500 net
Dossier
California to Florida
HNW retiree path; hurricane offset
Dossier
California to Nevada
Tahoe / Reno / Vegas, lowest friction
Dossier
New York to Florida
Estate tax, convenience-of-employer
Dossier
New York to Tennessee
The Nashville move decoded
§ VII.6 · Ranked by Persona
Ranked
Best for high earners ($250K+)
Income tax overwhelms everything
Ranked
Best for business owners
Pass-through, S-corp, C-corp ranked
Ranked
Best for passive income
Capital gains, dividends, rental
Ranked
Best for W2 employees
Wages, simple cases
Ranked
States with no capital gains tax
8 states + the WA catch
Ranked
States with no property tax (the honest answer)
None, but lowest options ranked
§ VIII · Queries
§ IX · Cross-References
incometaxbystate.com
Full income tax comparison for all 50 states
effectivetaxratecalculator.com
Calculate your true effective tax rate
aftertaxincomecalculator.com
Model your take-home pay after all taxes
podsmovingcost.com
Estimate the cost of your relocation
Sources: Tax Foundation State-Local Tax Burden Rankings 2024, MERIC Cost of Living Data Series (C2ER index, Q2 2026), ESSB 6346 final bill report (Washington Legislature, 2026), state revenue department websites. Last reviewed October 2026.
This is a burden comparison, not tax advice, and we are not a state revenue department. Within that, ask away: what a state does and does not tax, how a comparison on this site was put together, and where any single figure came from are all fair to send. A person opens every one of these, and the reply names the source it rests on, whether that is a revenue department page, a Tax Foundation table or a BEA series.
Rates and thresholds on these pages age. If you find one that has moved, that is worth an email on its own. Should an answer be useful to more people than the person who asked, we write and ask permission first, and only an anonymised version of it ever reaches the site.
Filed elsewhere
STATE RULES
Each state's own revenue department settles what it taxes and at what rate, and those move whenever a legislature sits.
FEDERAL
The IRS. Nothing on this site is federal guidance and no answer from us will be either.
YOUR OWN MOVE
Residency and domicile turn on facts we cannot see, so a CPA or an enrolled agent is who decides them.