California vs Washington — Salary, Taxes & Cost of Living | Chasing Greener Grass

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Fill in the info below to see how where you are now stacks up against where you could be.

We don’t just look at your paycheck — we check what it actually buys in each state, factoring in cost of living alongside federal and state taxes.

These numbers show what it costs to maintain the same lifestyle in each state — not a pay cut or raise.

Gross income: $75,000
Federal tax: −$7,949
State tax: −$3,017
FICA: −$5,738

Take-home$58,296

Equivalent lifestyle in WashingtonYou'd need this much in Washington to live the same way

$56,343

Gross income: $75,000
Federal tax: −$7,949
State tax: None
FICA: −$5,738

Take-home$61,314

Equivalent lifestyle in CaliforniaYou'd need this much in California to live the same way

$63,439

Where other California residents are moving — and what it means for your wallet

Top outbound destinations ranked by migration volume, with purchasing-power gain or loss. At $75,000, single filer, 2025.

No income taxHousing -3%Goods -2%Utilities -12%Services -3%Avg income, CA→TX movers: $107K

Most Common Route77K movers11.7% of all CA movers

No income taxHousing +14%Goods -4%Utilities -9%Services -1%Avg income, CA→NV movers: $103K

53K movers8.1% of all CA movers

Housing +7%Goods -5%Utilities -8%Services +3%Avg income, CA→AZ movers: $88K

52K movers7.9% of all CA movers

No income taxHousing +26%Goods +4%Utilities -7%Services +4%Avg income, CA→WA movers: $112K

44K movers6.6% of all CA movers

No income taxHousing +22%Goods -2%Utilities -10%Services +1%Avg income, CA→FL movers: $130K

36K movers5.5% of all CA movers

Housing +9%Goods +5%Utilities +7%Services +0%Avg income, CA→OR movers: $88K

32K movers4.8% of all CA movers

Washington has no income tax on wages. WA does levy a capital gains excise tax (7% on investment gains above ~$262,000–$278,000/yr; a new 9.9% rate on gains above $1M takes effect January 1, 2028) — not modeled here, consistent with how capital gains are excluded for all states.

How to read these numbers

Housing -12%Housing +18%

Green = below national average (cheaper); red = above (pricier). These four categories — Housing, Goods, Utilities, Services — come from BEA Regional Price Parities, real measured prices, not a generic index.

No income tax

This state doesn’t tax wage income at all.

Avg income, CA→TX movers: $82K

The average income per tax return for people who made this exact move — closer to a household figure than per-person, since joint filers count as one return.

$91,133

“Equivalent lifestyle” — what you’d need to earn in the other state to live the same way, not a pay cut or raise.