State comparison
Arizona vs Ohio: which state is better to live in?
Arizona costs a median household about $290 a year less in state and local taxes than Ohio, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,142 a year against $3,220 in Ohio, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 102 against 88).
Arizona
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 3 categories
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Arizona vs Ohio
Arizona has a flat 2.5% income tax, which works out to 2.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,865 a year. Ohio has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.5%, which works out to 1.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,335 a year. Ohio wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.51% of home value a year in Arizona and 1.37% in Ohio (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,142 against $3,220, so Arizona has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.37% in Arizona and 7.22% in Ohio; Ohio is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,879 a year in Arizona, $6,169 in Ohio. Arizona is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arizona's cost of living index is 102 and Ohio's is 88, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 16% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $420K in Arizona and $235K in Ohio (Zillow, 2024), a $185K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Arizona and $1,050 in Ohio.
Home insurance averages $1,850 a year in Arizona and $1,200 in Ohio, so Ohio is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 474 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 303 in Ohio (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Ohio is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 56% lower. Property crime is 2,624 per 100,000 in Arizona against 2,081 in Ohio, again favoring Ohio.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.3 years in Arizona and 75.4 in Ohio (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.9-year edge for Arizona. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arizona's health system 34th of 50 and Ohio's 22nd, so Ohio scores better on care.
10.8% of Arizona residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Ohio, which favors Ohio. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona's K-12 schools 45th in the country and Ohio's 28th, 17 places apart in Ohio's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arizona went to Trump by 5 points and Ohio went to Trump by 12 points.
Arizona has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Arizona and protected by state law in Ohio, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.35 an hour in Arizona and $10.45 in Ohio.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Arizona (wildfire, extreme-heat, drought) and moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 46 in Arizona and 45 in Ohio (under 50 is good), favoring Ohio.
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
3
Arizona
11
Ohio
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arizona or Ohio better to live in?
Ohio wins more of the measures that decide a move. Arizona on taxes ($5,879 a year for a median household against $6,169); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 102); Ohio on safety (303 violent crimes per 100,000 against 474); Ohio on schools (ranked 28th against 45th).
Which is cheaper, Arizona or Ohio?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 102. The median home is $420K in Arizona and $235K in Ohio (2024). On state and local taxes Arizona saves a median household about $290 a year.
Does Arizona or Ohio have lower taxes?
Arizona. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,879 a year in Arizona ($1,865 income tax, $2,142 property tax on the median home and $1,873 in sales tax) and $6,169 in Ohio ($1,335 income tax, $3,220 property tax on the median home and $1,615 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arizona or Ohio?
Ohio, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 474 per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 303 in Ohio; property crime is 2,624 against 2,081.
Which has better schools, Arizona or Ohio?
Ohio. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona 45th of 50 for K-12 and Ohio 28th.
Is Arizona or Ohio better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Arizona does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Ohio does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,142 a year in Arizona and $3,220 in Ohio.