State comparison
Alaska vs Wisconsin: which state is better to live in?
Alaska costs a median household about $4,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Wisconsin, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 126 against 93).
Alaska
Low tax burden · COL index 126
Wins 4 categories
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Alaska vs Wisconsin
Alaska has no state income tax. Wisconsin has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.65%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,349 a year. Alaska wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Alaska and 1.51% in Wisconsin (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,536 against $4,304, so Alaska has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 1.76% in Alaska and 5.43% in Wisconsin; 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, $8,868 in Wisconsin. Alaska is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Alaska's cost of living index is 126 and Wisconsin's is 93, where 100 is the national average; Wisconsin is about 35% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Alaska and $285K in Wisconsin (Zillow, 2024), a $55K gap in Wisconsin's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Alaska and $1,200 in Wisconsin.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in Alaska and $1,100 in Wisconsin, so Wisconsin is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 838 incidents per 100,000 residents in Alaska and 295 in Wisconsin (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wisconsin is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 184% lower. Property crime is 2,544 per 100,000 in Alaska against 1,787 in Wisconsin, again favoring Wisconsin.
Health
Life expectancy is 75 years in Alaska and 78.1 in Wisconsin (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.1-year edge for Wisconsin. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Alaska's health system 48th of 50 and Wisconsin's 8th, so Wisconsin scores better on care.
12.1% of Alaska residents have no health insurance against 5.7% in Wisconsin, which favors Wisconsin. Alaska expanded Medicaid and Wisconsin did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alaska's K-12 schools 35th in the country and Wisconsin's 11th, 24 places apart in Wisconsin's favor. Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points.
Alaska has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F.
Abortion is protected by state law in Alaska and legal with limits in Wisconsin, and marijuana is legal for adults in Alaska and illegal in Wisconsin as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.73 an hour in Alaska and $7.25 in Wisconsin.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Alaska (earthquake, tsunami, wildfire) and moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 29 in Alaska and 34 in Wisconsin (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
4
Alaska
11
Wisconsin
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Alaska or Wisconsin better to live in?
Wisconsin wins more of the measures that decide a move. Alaska on taxes ($3,930 a year for a median household against $8,868); Wisconsin on everyday costs (index 93 against 126); Wisconsin on safety (295 violent crimes per 100,000 against 838); Wisconsin on schools (ranked 11th against 35th).
Which is cheaper, Alaska or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 126. The median home is $340K in Alaska and $285K in Wisconsin (2024). On state and local taxes Alaska saves a median household about $4,900 a year.
Does Alaska or Wisconsin 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 $8,868 in Wisconsin ($3,349 income tax, $4,304 property tax on the median home and $1,215 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Alaska or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 838 per 100,000 residents in Alaska and 295 in Wisconsin; property crime is 2,544 against 1,787.
Which has better schools, Alaska or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alaska 35th of 50 for K-12 and Wisconsin 11th. Wisconsin also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Alaska or Wisconsin 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; Wisconsin 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 $4,304 in Wisconsin.