State comparison
Arkansas vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $1,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Arkansas, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 85).
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 6 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Arkansas vs Nevada
Arkansas has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.9%, which works out to 3.6% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,680 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.60% of home value a year in Arkansas and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,170 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.46% in Arkansas and 8.23% in Nevada; Nevada is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,966 a year in Arkansas, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arkansas's cost of living index is 85 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Arkansas is about 19% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $195K in Arkansas and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $220K gap in Arkansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month in Arkansas and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $2,600 a year in Arkansas and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 619 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Nevada is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 4% lower. Property crime is 2,469 per 100,000 in Arkansas against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Arkansas.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.8 years in Arkansas and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.7-year edge for Nevada. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arkansas's health system 44th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Nevada scores better on care.
9.4% of Arkansas residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Arkansas. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas's K-12 schools 42nd in the country and Nevada's 48th, 6 places apart in Arkansas's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arkansas went to Trump by 28 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Arkansas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Nevada regulates guns more tightly and Arkansas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Arkansas and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is medical only in Arkansas and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $11.00 an hour in Arkansas and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Arkansas (tornado, flood) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat), so Nevada is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 35 in Arkansas and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Arkansas.
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
Arkansas
8
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arkansas or Nevada better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $5,966); Arkansas on everyday costs (index 85 against 101); Nevada on safety (595 violent crimes per 100,000 against 619); Arkansas on schools (ranked 42nd against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Arkansas or Nevada?
Arkansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 101. The median home is $195K in Arkansas and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $1,900 a year.
Does Arkansas or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,966 a year in Arkansas ($2,680 income tax, $1,170 property tax on the median home and $2,117 in sales tax) and $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arkansas or Nevada?
Nevada, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 619 per 100,000 residents in Arkansas and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 2,469 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Arkansas or Nevada?
Arkansas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arkansas 42nd of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th.
Is Arkansas or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Arkansas does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,170 a year in Arkansas and $2,200 in Nevada.