State comparison
Idaho vs Alaska: which state is better to live in?
Alaska costs a median household about $3,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Idaho, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 126 against 96).
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 10 categories
Alaska
Low tax burden · COL index 126
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs Alaska
Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 a year. Alaska has no state income tax. Alaska wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 1.04% in Alaska (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $3,536, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho and 1.76% in Alaska; Alaska is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,085 a year in Idaho, $3,930 in Alaska. Alaska is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and Alaska's is 126, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 31% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $340K in Alaska (Zillow, 2024), a $85K gap in Alaska's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $1,350 in Alaska.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $1,400 in Alaska, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 838 in Alaska (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 268% lower. Property crime is 1,535 per 100,000 in Idaho against 2,544 in Alaska, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 75 in Alaska (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.7-year edge for Idaho. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Idaho's health system 32nd of 50 and Alaska's 48th, so Idaho scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho residents have no health insurance against 12.1% in Alaska, which favors Idaho. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and Alaska's 35th, 5 places apart in Idaho's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Idaho went to Trump by 30 points and Alaska went to Trump by 13 points.
Idaho has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Alaska has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho and protected by state law in Alaska, and marijuana is illegal in Idaho and legal for adults in Alaska as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $11.73 in Alaska.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in Alaska (earthquake, tsunami, wildfire). Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho and 29 in Alaska (under 50 is good), favoring Alaska.
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
10
Idaho
5
Alaska
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or Alaska better to live in?
Idaho wins more of the measures that decide a move. Alaska on taxes ($3,930 a year for a median household against $7,085); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 126); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 838); Idaho on schools (ranked 30th against 35th).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or Alaska?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 126. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $340K in Alaska (2024). On state and local taxes Alaska saves a median household about $3,200 a year.
Does Idaho or Alaska have lower taxes?
Alaska. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,085 a year in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax) and $3,930 in Alaska ($0 income tax, $3,536 property tax on the median home and $394 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Idaho or Alaska?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 838 in Alaska; property crime is 1,535 against 2,544.
Which has better schools, Idaho or Alaska?
Idaho. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and Alaska 35th.
Is Idaho or Alaska better for retirees?
Alaska is friendlier to retirees on paper. Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Alaska does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,040 a year in Idaho and $3,536 in Alaska.