State comparison
Alaska vs Wyoming: which state is better to live in?
Wyoming costs a median household about $810 a year less in state and local taxes than Alaska, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,925 a year against $3,536 in Alaska.
Alaska
Low tax burden · COL index 126
Wins 5 categories
Wyoming
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Alaska vs Wyoming
Neither Alaska nor Wyoming has a state income tax, so wages are untouched at the state level in both.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Alaska and 0.55% in Wyoming (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,536 against $1,925, so Wyoming has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 1.76% in Alaska and 5.34% in Wyoming; 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, $3,120 in Wyoming. Wyoming is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Alaska's cost of living index is 126 and Wyoming's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Wyoming is about 25% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Alaska and $350K in Wyoming (Zillow, 2024), a $10K gap in Alaska's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,350 a month in Alaska and $1,300 in Wyoming.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in Alaska and $1,500 in Wyoming, so Alaska is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 838 incidents per 100,000 residents in Alaska and 221 in Wyoming (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wyoming is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 279% lower. Property crime is 2,544 per 100,000 in Alaska against 1,812 in Wyoming, again favoring Wyoming.
Health
Life expectancy is 75 years in Alaska and 76 in Wyoming (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.0-year edge for Wyoming. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Alaska's health system 48th of 50 and Wyoming's 33rd, so Wyoming scores better on care.
12.1% of Alaska residents have no health insurance against 12.3% in Wyoming, which favors Alaska. Alaska expanded Medicaid and Wyoming did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alaska's K-12 schools 35th in the country and Wyoming's 39th, 4 places apart in Alaska'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 Wyoming went to Trump by 43 points.
Alaska has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Wyoming has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is protected by state law in Alaska and banned with narrow exceptions in Wyoming, and marijuana is legal for adults in Alaska and illegal in Wyoming as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.73 an hour in Alaska and $7.25 in Wyoming.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Alaska (earthquake, tsunami, wildfire) and moderate in Wyoming (blizzard, drought, wildfire). Annual average air quality index is 29 in Alaska and 30 in Wyoming (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
8
Wyoming
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Alaska or Wyoming better to live in?
Wyoming wins more of the measures that decide a move. Wyoming on taxes ($3,120 a year for a median household against $3,930); Wyoming on everyday costs (index 101 against 126); Wyoming on safety (221 violent crimes per 100,000 against 838); Alaska on schools (ranked 35th against 39th).
Which is cheaper, Alaska or Wyoming?
Wyoming is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 126. The median home is $340K in Alaska and $350K in Wyoming (2024). On state and local taxes Wyoming saves a median household about $810 a year.
Does Alaska or Wyoming have lower taxes?
Wyoming. 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 $3,120 in Wyoming ($0 income tax, $1,925 property tax on the median home and $1,195 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Alaska or Wyoming?
Wyoming, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 838 per 100,000 residents in Alaska and 221 in Wyoming; property crime is 2,544 against 1,812.
Which has better schools, Alaska or Wyoming?
Alaska. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alaska 35th of 50 for K-12 and Wyoming 39th.
Is Alaska or Wyoming better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Alaska does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Wyoming does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,536 a year in Alaska and $1,925 in Wyoming.