State comparison
Hawaii vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $3,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Hawaii, mostly because it has no income tax.
Hawaii
Moderate tax burden · COL index 196
Wins 8 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Hawaii vs Nevada
Hawaii has a graduated income tax topping out at 11%, which works out to 6.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,559 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.27% of home value a year in Hawaii and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,268 against $2,200, so Hawaii has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 4.44% in Hawaii and 8.23% in Nevada; Hawaii is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,821 a year in Hawaii, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Hawaii's cost of living index is 196 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 94% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $840K in Hawaii and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $425K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,500 a month in Hawaii and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $500 a year in Hawaii and $800 in Nevada, so Hawaii is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 281 incidents per 100,000 residents in Hawaii and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Hawaii is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 112% lower. Property crime is 2,480 per 100,000 in Hawaii against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Hawaii.
Health
Life expectancy is 80.7 years in Hawaii and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.2-year edge for Hawaii. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Hawaii's health system 11th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Hawaii scores better on care.
4.8% of Hawaii residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Hawaii. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Hawaii's K-12 schools 25th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 23 places apart in Hawaii's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Hawaii does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Hawaii went to Harris by 26 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Hawaii has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Hawaii 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 $14.00 an hour in Hawaii and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Hawaii (hurricane, tsunami, volcano) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 18 in Hawaii and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Hawaii.
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
8
Hawaii
7
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Hawaii 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 $7,821); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 196); Hawaii on safety (281 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Hawaii on schools (ranked 25th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Hawaii or Nevada?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 196. The median home is $840K in Hawaii and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $3,800 a year.
Does Hawaii or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,821 a year in Hawaii ($4,559 income tax, $2,268 property tax on the median home and $993 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, Hawaii or Nevada?
Hawaii, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 281 per 100,000 residents in Hawaii and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 2,480 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Hawaii or Nevada?
Hawaii. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Hawaii 25th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Hawaii or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Hawaii does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,268 a year in Hawaii and $2,200 in Nevada.