State comparison
Alaska vs Idaho: which state is better to live in?
Alaska costs a median household about $3,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Idaho, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 126 against 96).
Alaska
Low tax burden · COL index 126
Wins 5 categories
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Alaska vs Idaho
Alaska has no state income tax. Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 a year. Alaska wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Alaska and 0.48% in Idaho (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,536 against $2,040, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 1.76% in Alaska and 6.02% in Idaho; Alaska is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $3,930 a year in Alaska, $7,085 in Idaho. Alaska is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Alaska's cost of living index is 126 and Idaho's is 96, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 31% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Alaska and $425K in Idaho (Zillow, 2024), a $85K gap in Alaska's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Alaska and $1,500 in Idaho.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in Alaska and $800 in Idaho, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 838 incidents per 100,000 residents in Alaska and 228 in Idaho (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 268% lower. Property crime is 2,544 per 100,000 in Alaska against 1,535 in Idaho, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 75 years in Alaska and 77.7 in Idaho (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.7-year edge for Idaho. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Alaska's health system 48th of 50 and Idaho's 32nd, so Idaho scores better on care.
12.1% of Alaska residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in Idaho, which favors Idaho. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alaska's K-12 schools 35th in the country and Idaho's 30th, 5 places apart in Idaho's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Alaska went to Trump by 13 points and Idaho went to Trump by 30 points.
Alaska has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Idaho has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is protected by state law in Alaska and banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho, and marijuana is legal for adults in Alaska and illegal in Idaho as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.73 an hour in Alaska and $7.25 in Idaho.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Alaska (earthquake, tsunami, wildfire) and moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 29 in Alaska and 48 in Idaho (under 50 is good), favoring Alaska.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
5
Alaska
10
Idaho
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Alaska or Idaho better to live in?
Idaho wins more of the measures that decide a move. Alaska on taxes ($3,930 a year for a median household against $7,085); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 126); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 838); Idaho on schools (ranked 30th against 35th).
Which is cheaper, Alaska or Idaho?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 126. The median home is $340K in Alaska and $425K in Idaho (2024). On state and local taxes Alaska saves a median household about $3,200 a year.
Does Alaska or Idaho have lower taxes?
Alaska. A household earning $74,580 pays about $3,930 a year in Alaska ($0 income tax, $3,536 property tax on the median home and $394 in sales tax) and $7,085 in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Alaska or Idaho?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 838 per 100,000 residents in Alaska and 228 in Idaho; property crime is 2,544 against 1,535.
Which has better schools, Alaska or Idaho?
Idaho. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alaska 35th of 50 for K-12 and Idaho 30th.
Is Alaska or Idaho better for retirees?
Alaska is friendlier to retirees on paper. Alaska does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,536 a year in Alaska and $2,040 in Idaho.