The decision turns on two rates — yours now and yours at withdrawal — and for anyone who might move, the largest thing moving them is which state you retire in. This models both states rather than assuming you stay put.
What your state actually takes from a 401(k) withdrawal, a pension, and Social Security — in dollars, not a yes/no list.
2026 limits, employer match, the 60-63 super catch-up, and whether the Roth catch-up mandate applies to you.
Long-term index-fund growth after expense-ratio drag — and what your state takes from the gains at withdrawal.
What retiring actually costs across all fifty states in 2026 — the three lines that decide it, why ranking states by income tax gets the answer wrong, the federal rules that follow you everywhere, and the decisions that are worth real money before you move.
California charges $1,853 in state income tax on a typical retirement income, $6,332 in property tax on its median home and $1,335 in insurance — $9,520 together, which is 36th of 50.
What moving actually saves, on your own income mix rather than a headline rate — and how to establish domicile so the state you left cannot follow you.
Which account to draw first, priced. The three cliffs a withdrawal can cross without warning, the conversion window almost nobody uses, and why the order is the last big decision you can still change.