State comparison
Arizona vs Wyoming: which state is better to live in?
Wyoming costs a median household about $2,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Arizona, mostly because it has no income tax.
Arizona
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 3 categories
Wyoming
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 12 categories
Taxes: Arizona vs Wyoming
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. Wyoming has no state income tax. Wyoming wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.51% of home value a year in Arizona and 0.55% in Wyoming (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,142 against $1,925, so Arizona has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.37% in Arizona and 5.34% in Wyoming; Wyoming 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, $3,120 in Wyoming. Wyoming is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arizona's cost of living index is 102 and Wyoming's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Wyoming is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $420K in Arizona and $350K in Wyoming (Zillow, 2024), a $70K gap in Wyoming's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Arizona and $1,300 in Wyoming.
Home insurance averages $1,850 a year in Arizona and $1,500 in Wyoming, so Wyoming is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 474 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 221 in Wyoming (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wyoming is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 114% lower. Property crime is 2,624 per 100,000 in Arizona against 1,812 in Wyoming, again favoring Wyoming.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.3 years in Arizona and 76 in Wyoming (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.3-year edge for Arizona. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arizona's health system 34th of 50 and Wyoming's 33rd, so Wyoming scores better on care.
10.8% of Arizona residents have no health insurance against 12.3% in Wyoming, which favors Arizona. Arizona expanded Medicaid and Wyoming did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona's K-12 schools 45th in the country and Wyoming's 39th, 6 places apart in Wyoming's favor. Arizona runs a school-choice voucher program; Wyoming does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arizona went to Trump by 5 points and Wyoming went to Trump by 43 points.
Arizona has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Wyoming has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in Arizona and illegal in Wyoming as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.35 an hour in Arizona and $7.25 in Wyoming.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Arizona (wildfire, extreme-heat, drought) and moderate in Wyoming (blizzard, drought, wildfire). Annual average air quality index is 46 in Arizona and 30 in Wyoming (under 50 is good), favoring Wyoming.
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
12
Wyoming
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arizona 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 $5,879); Wyoming on everyday costs (index 101 against 102); Wyoming on safety (221 violent crimes per 100,000 against 474); Wyoming on schools (ranked 39th against 45th).
Which is cheaper, Arizona or Wyoming?
Wyoming is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 102. The median home is $420K in Arizona and $350K in Wyoming (2024). On state and local taxes Wyoming saves a median household about $2,800 a year.
Does Arizona or Wyoming have lower taxes?
Wyoming. 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 $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, Arizona or Wyoming?
Wyoming, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 474 per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 221 in Wyoming; property crime is 2,624 against 1,812.
Which has better schools, Arizona or Wyoming?
Wyoming. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona 45th of 50 for K-12 and Wyoming 39th. Arizona also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Arizona or Wyoming better for retirees?
Wyoming is friendlier to retirees on paper. Arizona does not tax Social Security, partly 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 $2,142 a year in Arizona and $1,925 in Wyoming.