State comparison
Idaho vs Mississippi: which state is better to live in?
Mississippi costs a median household about $1,700 a year less in state and local taxes than Idaho, mostly because its income tax takes 4.4% of a median income against 5.8% in Idaho.
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 8 categories
Mississippi
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs Mississippi
Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,326 a year. Mississippi has a flat 4.7% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. Mississippi wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 0.64% in Mississippi (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $1,152, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho and 7.07% in Mississippi; Idaho is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,713 a year in Idaho, $6,015 in Mississippi. Mississippi is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and Mississippi's is 82, where 100 is the national average; Mississippi is about 17% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $180K in Mississippi (Zillow, 2024), a $245K gap in Mississippi's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $950 in Mississippi.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $2,500 in Mississippi, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 283 in Mississippi (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 24% lower. Property crime is 1,535 per 100,000 in Idaho against 2,080 in Mississippi, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 71.9 in Mississippi (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.8-year edge for Idaho. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Idaho's health system 32nd of 50 and Mississippi's 47th, so Idaho scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho residents have no health insurance against 16.8% in Mississippi, which favors Idaho. Idaho expanded Medicaid and Mississippi did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and Mississippi's 50th, 20 places apart in Idaho's favor. Mississippi runs a school-choice voucher program; Idaho does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Idaho went to Trump by 30 points and Mississippi went to Trump by 17 points.
Idaho has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Mississippi has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is illegal in Idaho and medical only in Mississippi as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $7.25 in Mississippi.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and very high in Mississippi (hurricane, tornado, flood), so Idaho is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho and 32 in Mississippi (under 50 is good), favoring Mississippi.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
8
Idaho
5
Mississippi
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or Mississippi better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Mississippi on taxes ($6,015 a year for a median household against $7,713); Mississippi on everyday costs (index 82 against 96); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 283); Idaho on schools (ranked 30th against 50th).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or Mississippi?
Mississippi is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 96. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $180K in Mississippi (2024). On state and local taxes Mississippi saves a median household about $1,700 a year.
Does Idaho or Mississippi have lower taxes?
Mississippi. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,713 a year in Idaho ($4,326 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax) and $6,015 in Mississippi ($3,282 income tax, $1,152 property tax on the median home and $1,582 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Idaho or Mississippi?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 283 in Mississippi; property crime is 1,535 against 2,080.
Which has better schools, Idaho or Mississippi?
Idaho. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and Mississippi 50th. Mississippi also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Idaho or Mississippi better for retirees?
Mississippi is friendlier to retirees on paper. Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Mississippi 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 $1,152 in Mississippi.