State comparison
Idaho vs Minnesota: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $2,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Minnesota, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,040 a year against $3,417 in Minnesota.
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 9 categories
Minnesota
High tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs Minnesota
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. Minnesota has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.85%, which works out to 6.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,588 a year. Idaho wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 1.02% in Minnesota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $3,417, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho and 7.42% in Minnesota; Idaho 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, $9,666 in Minnesota. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and Minnesota's is 95, where 100 is the national average; Minnesota is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $335K in Minnesota (Zillow, 2024), a $90K gap in Minnesota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $1,450 in Minnesota.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $1,700 in Minnesota, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 286 in Minnesota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 25% lower. Property crime is 1,535 per 100,000 in Idaho against 2,094 in Minnesota, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 79.4 in Minnesota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.7-year edge for Minnesota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Idaho's health system 32nd of 50 and Minnesota's 2nd, so Minnesota scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho residents have no health insurance against 4.5% in Minnesota, which favors Minnesota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and Minnesota's 8th, 22 places apart in Minnesota'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 Minnesota went to Harris by 4 points.
Idaho has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Minnesota has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of B, so Minnesota regulates guns more tightly and Idaho is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho and protected by state law in Minnesota, and marijuana is illegal in Idaho and legal for adults in Minnesota as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $10.85 in Minnesota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in Minnesota (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho and 32 in Minnesota (under 50 is good), favoring Minnesota.
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
9
Idaho
7
Minnesota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or Minnesota better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Idaho on taxes ($7,085 a year for a median household against $9,666); Minnesota on everyday costs (index 95 against 96); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 286); Minnesota on schools (ranked 8th against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or Minnesota?
Minnesota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 96. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $335K in Minnesota (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $2,600 a year.
Does Idaho or Minnesota have lower taxes?
Idaho. 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 $9,666 in Minnesota ($4,588 income tax, $3,417 property tax on the median home and $1,660 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Idaho or Minnesota?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 286 in Minnesota; property crime is 1,535 against 2,094.
Which has better schools, Idaho or Minnesota?
Minnesota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and Minnesota 8th.
Is Idaho or Minnesota better for retirees?
Idaho is friendlier to retirees on paper. Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Minnesota taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,040 a year in Idaho and $3,417 in Minnesota.