Moving from California to Florida
36,194 people moved from California to Florida in 2024, the 12th busiest of the 57 interstate moves covered here; 15,988 moved the other way.
The year you move. You file a part-year resident return in California for the income earned while you lived there. Florida has no return to file.
Local income tax at each end. California: no local income tax. Florida: no local income tax.
At $100,000 a single filer saves $4,911 a year by moving from California to Florida — $409 a month. California charges $4,911 at that income and Florida charges $0, an effective 4.91% against 0.00%. California vs Florida, side by side.
The gap is not constant. At $50,000 it is $973; at $500,000 it is $43,543. Florida levies no individual income tax, so the whole of your California bill disappears and the saving grows with every dollar you earn.
The move priced at every income
State income tax in both jurisdictions for tax year 2026, at the standard tiers. Change the filing status to see how the answer moves.
| Income | California tax | Florida tax | Change per year | Change per month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $973 | $0 | −$973 | −$81 | 1.95% → 0.00% |
| $75,000 | $2,665 | $0 | −$2,665 | −$222 | 3.55% → 0.00% |
| $100,000 | $4,911 | $0 | −$4,911 | −$409 | 4.91% → 0.00% |
| $150,000 | $9,561 | $0 | −$9,561 | −$797 | 6.37% → 0.00% |
| $250,000 | $18,861 | $0 | −$18,861 | −$1,572 | 7.54% → 0.00% |
| $500,000 | $43,543 | $0 | −$43,543 | −$3,629 | 8.71% → 0.00% |
Want a figure for your own income? Open this pair in the moving calculator, which also takes Maryland county and New York City local taxes.
Both states at $100,000
California (leaving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026Florida (arriving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026How many people make this move
36,194 people moved from California to Florida in 2024, give or take 5,759 — the American Community Survey is a sample, and its margin of error on a flow this size is wide. That makes it the 12th busiest of the 57 interstate moves with a page of their own.
The traffic runs both ways: 15,988 people moved the other way, from Florida to California, in the same year. That is a net 20,206 toward Florida. The return trip has no page of its own; the moving calculator prices it.
Movers: U.S. Census Bureau, Table 1. State-to-State Migration Flows: 2024 (American Community Survey 1-year estimates) (retrieved 2026-09-23). Universe: population 1 year and over in the united states. Tax figures are computed from each state's own rate schedule and are unrelated to this dataset.
What else changes between California and Florida
Capital gains. A long-term gain meets a top rate of 13.30% in California and 0.00% in Florida.
California, today: California is the plainest statement of the rule in the country and the most expensive. The Franchise Tax Board states: "California does not have a lower rate for capital gains. All capital gains are taxed as ordinary income." For 2026 the top bracket is 12.3%, and a 1% Behavioral Health Services Tax on taxable income over $1,000,000 takes the top to 13.3%, the highest rate on a long-term gain anywhere in the United States.
Florida, after the move: Florida taxes no individual capital gain. The Department of Revenue states that "Florida does not impose a personal income tax, so there are no filing requirements." Compare every state.
Retirement income. Florida: Florida levies no individual income tax, so Social Security benefits are not taxed at the state level. Compare every state.
Direction of travel. California's top rate has not moved since 2021. Florida's top rate has not moved since 2021. California history · Florida history.
What this does not answer
State income tax only. Property tax, sales tax and housing costs usually matter more to a moving decision than the figures on this page, and none of them is here.
Rates are tax year 2026. Sources: California Franchise Tax Board and Florida Department of Revenue. How we verify this data · Disclaimer