Relocation
Would moving states pay off?
A move to a lower-tax state can lower your state income tax every year — but moving itself costs money. The honest question isn't "which state taxes less" — it's "how many years of tax savings would it take to pay back the cost of moving," and whether the difference is even large enough to matter.
Your numbers
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How long the move takes to pay back
The flat line is what the move costs. The rising line is your income-tax savings adding up year by year. Where they cross is how long the move takes to pay for itself.
What it works out to
The rest of the tax picture
These aren't part of the payback number above — they need your own home value and spending to price out, so they're shown as context to weigh yourself. For many retirees, property tax is the larger number.
What this does and doesn't account for
The payback number counts state income tax only, computed from each state's actual bracket tables for your filing status, with Social Security, pension, and retirement-account rules applied as each state writes them. It's the part that can be figured to the dollar.
It does not fold in property tax, sales tax, or estate tax — those depend on your home value and spending, which vary too much to compute honestly for you. They're shown alongside as context. It also doesn't count moving as a way to change your income, cost of living beyond taxes, or the many non-financial reasons a move is worth making.
This is information to help you think, not financial advice.