California vs Missouri

Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more

California

Rank #40

Overall Score

61.3

Category Wins

6/10

Missouri

Rank #10

Overall Winner

Overall Score

69.6

Category Wins

4/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.76%

Property Tax

0.88%

138

Cost of Living

87.1

$5,800

Farm Land $/Acre

$4,200

365 days

Growing Season

200 days

100"

Annual Rainfall

50"

7/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

2/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

5.5 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.5 hrs

91%

Broadband

80%

Missouri Edges Out California Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 69.6 vs 61.3, Missouri comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 6 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Missouri offers cheaper farmland at $4,200/acre vs $5,800/acre. California has a longer growing season (365 vs 200 days). California has lower property taxes (0.76% vs 0.88%).

Scroll down to the full comparison table for a deep dive into every metric, or use our ranking tool to weight these factors by what matters most to you.

Full Data Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of selected states across homesteading metrics
Data Point	California CA	Missouri MO
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	13.3%	4.7%
	8.625%	8.33%
	0.76%	0.88%
	138	87.1
Land & Building
	$5,800	$4,200
	Yes (Statewide)	No Statewide Code
	Varies	Yes (Statewide)
Climate & Growing
	8a-10b	5b-7a
	365	200
	100"	50"
	7	6
	8	3
	1	6
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Unrestricted
	5.5	4.5
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	None
	2	9
	Moderate	Strong
	Yes (Retail Sales)	Yes (Farm Sales Only)
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	447	540
	35%	40%
Demographics & Community
	253.61	89.5
	5%	30%
	91%	80%
Business
	#48	#13
	$70/yr	$50/yr
	3.7%	3.2%

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