State comparison
Alaska vs Louisiana: which state is better to live in?
Alaska costs a median household about $1,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Louisiana, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 126 against 91).
Alaska
Low tax burden · COL index 126
Wins 6 categories
Louisiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Alaska vs Louisiana
Alaska has no state income tax. Louisiana has a graduated income tax topping out at 3%, which works out to 3.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,237 a year. Alaska wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Alaska and 0.53% in Louisiana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,536 against $1,140, so Louisiana has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 1.76% in Alaska and 9.56% in Louisiana; 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, $5,516 in Louisiana. Alaska is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Alaska's cost of living index is 126 and Louisiana's is 91, where 100 is the national average; Louisiana is about 38% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Alaska and $215K in Louisiana (Zillow, 2024), a $125K gap in Louisiana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Alaska and $1,100 in Louisiana.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in Alaska and $3,000 in Louisiana, so Alaska is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 838 incidents per 100,000 residents in Alaska and 587 in Louisiana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Louisiana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 43% lower. Property crime is 2,544 per 100,000 in Alaska against 2,426 in Louisiana, again favoring Louisiana.
Health
Life expectancy is 75 years in Alaska and 73 in Louisiana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.0-year edge for Alaska. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Alaska's health system 48th of 50 and Louisiana's 45th, so Louisiana scores better on care.
12.1% of Alaska residents have no health insurance against 8.5% in Louisiana, which favors Louisiana. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alaska's K-12 schools 35th in the country and Louisiana's 47th, 12 places apart in Alaska's favor. Louisiana runs a school-choice voucher program; Alaska does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Alaska went to Trump by 13 points and Louisiana went to Trump by 20 points.
Alaska has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Louisiana has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is protected by state law in Alaska and banned with narrow exceptions in Louisiana, and marijuana is legal for adults in Alaska and medical only in Louisiana as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.73 an hour in Alaska and $7.25 in Louisiana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Alaska (earthquake, tsunami, wildfire) and very high in Louisiana (hurricane, flood, tornado), so Alaska is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 29 in Alaska and 36 in Louisiana (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
6
Alaska
9
Louisiana
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Alaska or Louisiana better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Alaska on taxes ($3,930 a year for a median household against $5,516); Louisiana on everyday costs (index 91 against 126); Louisiana on safety (587 violent crimes per 100,000 against 838); Alaska on schools (ranked 35th against 47th).
Which is cheaper, Alaska or Louisiana?
Louisiana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 126. The median home is $340K in Alaska and $215K in Louisiana (2024). On state and local taxes Alaska saves a median household about $1,600 a year.
Does Alaska or Louisiana 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 $5,516 in Louisiana ($2,237 income tax, $1,140 property tax on the median home and $2,139 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Alaska or Louisiana?
Louisiana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 838 per 100,000 residents in Alaska and 587 in Louisiana; property crime is 2,544 against 2,426.
Which has better schools, Alaska or Louisiana?
Alaska. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alaska 35th of 50 for K-12 and Louisiana 47th. Louisiana also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Alaska or Louisiana 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; Louisiana 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 $1,140 in Louisiana.