Side-by-side comparison of all 50 states + DC on the metrics that actually matter for retirees: state tax on Social Security and pension, property tax, cost of living index, healthcare access, and weather.
Where you retire in the US can change your take-home retirement income by $5,000-$15,000 per year. The biggest swing is state income tax on Social Security and pension. 14 states (Florida, Texas, Nevada, Tennessee, Wyoming, South Dakota, Washington, Alaska, New Hampshire — partial, plus a few others) have no state income tax at all. 11 states tax Social Security to some degree (Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia). The rest are in the middle: tax pension and IRA withdrawals as ordinary income but not Social Security.
This tool covers all 50 states + DC with the current rules. It also factors property tax (NJ has the highest average effective rate, HI the lowest), sales tax (TN, AR, LA the highest combined state-local), and cost-of-living index (HI, NY, MA, CA the most expensive; MS, OK, KS the cheapest).
For California-based retirees: California taxes pension and IRA withdrawals as ordinary income (up to 13.3% top rate), but does NOT tax Social Security. Moving from CA to NV at retirement saves an average household ~$10,000/year in state tax on $80k of retirement income — but you give up CA's mild climate, healthcare access, and family proximity. The tool quantifies the trade-off in dollars.
Step 1 — Pick two states. Most useful comparisons for California retirees: CA vs NV, CA vs TX, CA vs WA (still has capital gains tax), CA vs OR (similar high taxes but no sales tax), CA vs AZ.
Step 2 — Enter your retirement income mix. Pension monthly, Social Security monthly, projected portfolio drawdown. The tool applies each state's specific tax treatment to each income stream.
Step 3 — Review the difference. Output is the monthly take-home in each state, plus property tax delta on an equivalent home, plus cost-of-living adjustment for an apples-to-apples lifestyle comparison.
Pick two states and the tool returns side-by-side breakdowns: state tax on SS and pension, property tax average, COL index, and the projected monthly cost difference for an identical retirement lifestyle.
Compare states →9 states have zero state income tax on wages or retirement income: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire (only taxes interest/dividends, being phased out), South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington (but has a 7% capital gains tax on high earners), Wyoming. Note: most no-income-tax states make up the revenue elsewhere — Texas has high property tax, Tennessee has high sales tax, Florida has hurricane-driven insurance costs.
No. California does not tax Social Security benefits. It does tax pension income (CalPERS, UCRP, CalSTRS, private pensions) and IRA/401(k) distributions as ordinary income at the state level, with rates up to 13.3% (the highest top marginal rate in the country). For a retiree with $30k SS + $50k pension, California state tax is roughly $1,500-$2,500/year depending on deductions.
Top-tier (low tax + reasonable COL): Tennessee, Florida, Wyoming, Nevada, South Dakota. Mid-tier with great healthcare: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia (partial pension exclusion), Pennsylvania (no tax on most retirement income). Underrated: Mississippi (no tax on retirement income, very low COL), Alabama (no tax on Social Security or qualified pensions). High-cost-but-pension-friendly: Illinois (no tax on retirement income but high property tax).
Property tax, sales tax, or insurance premiums often offset the income tax savings. Texas has property tax of 1.6-2.5% of home value (vs. CA's ~0.7% Prop 13). Florida has hurricane insurance averaging $4,000-$10,000/year on coastal homes. Tennessee has 9.5% combined sales tax. Run the total tax burden (income + property + sales) — for many California retirees, moving to a no-income-tax state saves $3,000-$8,000/year net, not the $15k headline number.