State comparison
Colorado vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $3,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Colorado, mostly because it has no income tax.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 7 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Nevada
Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $2,200, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado and 8.23% in Nevada; Colorado is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 9% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $130K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Colorado is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 31% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Nevada.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.3-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Colorado. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 39 places apart in Colorado's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Colorado does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Nevada is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat), so Nevada is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Nevada.
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
7
Colorado
8
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado 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 $7,634); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 110); Colorado on safety (453 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Nevada?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $3,600 a year.
Does Colorado or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,634 a year in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 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, Colorado or Nevada?
Colorado, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 2,859 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Nevada?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Colorado or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes 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 $2,616 a year in Colorado and $2,200 in Nevada.