Moving from California to New York
31,367 people moved from California to New York in 2024, the 20th busiest of the 57 interstate moves covered here; 24,927 moved the other way.
The year you move. You normally file part-year resident returns in both states: California taxes the income earned while you lived there and New York the income earned after you arrive, so neither full-year figure below is what you pay that year.
Local income tax at each end. California: no local income tax. New York: New York City levies a resident personal income tax of 3.078% to 3.876% on city taxable income, collected on the state return. Yonkers levies a resident income tax surcharge equal to 16.75% of the taxpayer's New York State tax, and a 0.5% earnings tax on non-residents who work there. No other New York locality taxes individual income. (New York City income tax)
At $100,000 a single filer saves $51 a year by moving from California to New York — $4 a month. California charges $4,911 at that income and New York charges $4,860, an effective 4.91% against 4.86%. California vs New York, side by side.
The gap is not constant. At $50,000 it is $1,130; at $500,000 it is $9,841. Both states run a graduated schedule, so the gap scales roughly with income.
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 | New York tax | Change per year | Change per month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $973 | $2,103 | +$1,130 | +$94 | 1.95% → 4.21% |
| $75,000 | $2,665 | $3,453 | +$788 | +$66 | 3.55% → 4.60% |
| $100,000 | $4,911 | $4,860 | −$51 | −$4 | 4.91% → 4.86% |
| $150,000 | $9,561 | $8,291 | −$1,270 | −$106 | 6.37% → 5.53% |
| $250,000 | $18,861 | $15,946 | −$2,915 | −$243 | 7.54% → 6.38% |
| $500,000 | $43,543 | $33,701 | −$9,841 | −$820 | 8.71% → 6.74% |
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 · TY2026New York (arriving)
$100,000 · Single · TY2026How many people make this move
31,367 people moved from California to New York in 2024, give or take 4,875 — the American Community Survey is a sample, and its margin of error on a flow this size is wide. That makes it the 20th busiest of the 57 interstate moves with a page of their own.
The traffic runs both ways: 24,927 people moved the other way, from New York to California, in the same year. That is a net 6,440 toward New York. The return trip has its own page: moving from New York to California.
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 New York
Local income tax. New York has localities that levy their own income tax; California does not, so the figures above understate what you would pay after the move. See what they cost.
Capital gains. A long-term gain meets a top rate of 13.30% in California and 10.90% in New York.
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.
New York, after the move: New York taxes a capital gain at the ordinary rates, up to 10.9%. There is no preferential rate and no general exclusion. Compare every state.
Retirement income. New York: Social Security benefits included in federal AGI are subtracted when computing New York AGI. Compare every state.
Direction of travel. California's top rate has not moved since 2021. New York's top rate has not moved since 2021. California history · New York 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 New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. How we verify this data · Disclaimer