Free Tool
Should I Move? Taxes, Prices and Freedom by State
Compared with California
Your freedom match in California: 43.9/100 · prices 110.7 (US = 100)
- 1South Dakota
- Buying power
- +$23,812
- Tax / prices
- −$3,710 · −20.0%
- Freedom
- +25.1
- 2North Dakota
- Buying power
- +$22,810
- Tax / prices
- −$3,244 · −19.7%
- Freedom
- +26.9
- 3Mississippi
- Buying power
- +$22,006
- Tax / prices
- −$809 · −21.5%
- Freedom
- +8.3
- 4Arkansas
- Buying power
- +$21,947
- Tax / prices
- −$748 · −21.5%
- Freedom
- +8.9
- 5Louisiana
- Buying power
- +$21,681
- Tax / prices
- −$1,668 · −20.3%
- Freedom
- +8.6
- 6Wyoming
- Buying power
- +$21,152
- Tax / prices
- −$5,211 · −16.3%
- Freedom
- +18.9
- 7Tennessee
- Buying power
- +$20,798
- Tax / prices
- −$4,192 · −17.0%
- Freedom
- +19.0
- 8West Virginia
- Buying power
- +$20,227
- Tax / prices
- −$1,640 · −19.2%
- Freedom
- +15.3
- 9Iowa
- Buying power
- +$20,063
- Tax / prices
- +$10 · −20.7%
- Freedom
- +12.0
- 10Oklahoma
- Buying power
- +$19,819
- Tax / prices
- +$133 · −20.7%
- Freedom
- +16.0
How this is worked out
- State & local tax is the tax-savings calculator’s estimate: 2025 single-filer income-tax brackets, combined state and average local sales tax on spending of 35% of income, and effective property tax on a home worth 3× income. Federal tax is the same in every state and is left out.
- Prices are the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Regional Price Parities for 2024: how much a typical basket of goods, rent and services costs in each state compared with the US average. They are statewide averages; a metro and a rural county in the same state can differ a lot.
- Buying power is your income after state and local tax, adjusted for the destination’s prices and expressed in today’s dollars where you live. It assumes your paycheck stays the same after the move, as with remote work. A local job may pay more or less.
- Freedom match is the same personal score as the freedom footprint: every state’s category scores, weighted toward the priorities you tick. It is your weighting, not an official ranking.
- Money and freedom are shown side by side and never combined into one number. “Better on both” only lists states that come out ahead on each.
Frequently asked questions
What does “buying power” mean here?
It is your income after state and local tax, adjusted for how expensive the destination is, expressed in today’s dollars where you live now. A positive number means the same paycheck would go further there, like getting a raise of that amount.
Where does the cost-of-living data come from?
From the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Regional Price Parities, which compare the price of a typical basket of goods, rent, utilities and services in each state with the national average. They are official statewide averages, so a big city and a rural county in the same state can differ substantially.
Does it assume I keep my job?
Yes. It keeps your income the same, as it would be for a remote worker. If you would take a local job after moving, wages there may be higher or lower, and that matters as much as taxes and prices.
Why aren’t money and freedom combined into one score?
Because how much a dollar is worth against a freedom point is your call, not ours. The tool shows both facts side by side. “Better on both” lists only the states that come out ahead on each, so you don’t have to make that trade at all.
Why isn’t my ZIP code, family size, weather or crime included?
The price data is published by state, so a ZIP code would add precision the numbers don’t have. Tax estimates are modelled for a single filer. Weather and crime are not in this version; the state profile pages cover more of each state.