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State vs state take-home pay comparisons
Side-by-side 2026 paycheck comparisons for the most common US moves. Each shows how much more you keep per year at salaries from $40,000 to $300,000.
Popular comparisons
- California vs Texas$6,370/yr more in Texas on $100k
- New York vs Florida$4,860/yr more in Florida on $100k
- California vs Nevada$6,370/yr more in Nevada on $100k
- California vs Arizona$4,079/yr more in Arizona on $100k
- Washington vs Oregon$7,920/yr more in Washington on $100k
- New York vs New Jersey$678/yr more in New Jersey on $100k
- Illinois vs Indiana$1,885/yr more in Indiana on $100k
- Massachusetts vs New Hampshire$4,780/yr more in New Hampshire on $100k
- Texas vs Florida$0/yr more in Texas on $100k
- Colorado vs Utah$808/yr more in Colorado on $100k
- Georgia vs North Carolina$1,086/yr more in North Carolina on $100k
- Pennsylvania vs New Jersey$1,112/yr more in Pennsylvania on $100k
- Tennessee vs Georgia$4,567/yr more in Tennessee on $100k
- Florida vs North Carolina$3,481/yr more in Florida on $100k
- California vs Washington$6,370/yr more in Washington on $100k
- New York vs Texas$4,860/yr more in Texas on $100k
What changes when you move states?
Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare are identical in every state, so the gap in take-home pay comes from state income tax (and, in a few places, city or county income tax). Nine states charge no tax on wages at all, while California's top rate reaches 13.3%. On a $100,000 salary that can mean a difference of more than $6,000 a year.
Income tax is only part of the picture. States without an income tax often lean on higher sales and property taxes, and housing costs usually dwarf any tax savings. Use these comparisons as a starting point, then add rent or mortgage, property tax and insurance before deciding.
How we compare states
Each comparison uses the same 2026 federal rules for both states and applies each state's brackets, standard deduction, exemptions and credits for a single filer with no other income. Local income taxes are excluded. See our methodology for the details.