State comparison
Idaho vs North Dakota: which state is better to live in?
North Dakota costs a median household about $2,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Idaho, mostly because its income tax takes 0.7% of a median income against 5.0% in Idaho.
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 7 categories
North Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 98
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs North Dakota
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. North Dakota has a graduated income tax topping out at 2.5%, which works out to 0.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $509 a year. North Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 0.88% in North Dakota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $2,244, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho and 6.97% in North Dakota; 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, $4,313 in North Dakota. North Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and North Dakota's is 98, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $255K in North Dakota (Zillow, 2024), a $170K gap in North Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $1,100 in North Dakota.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $2,200 in North Dakota, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 285 in North Dakota (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 1,779 in North Dakota, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 78.8 in North Dakota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.1-year edge for North Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Idaho's health system 32nd of 50 and North Dakota's 27th, so North Dakota scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho residents have no health insurance against 7.5% in North Dakota, which favors North Dakota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and North Dakota's 17th, 13 places apart in North Dakota'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 North Dakota went to Trump by 33 points.
Idaho has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; North Dakota 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 North Dakota as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $7.25 in North Dakota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in North Dakota (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho and 25 in North Dakota (under 50 is good), favoring North Dakota.
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
Idaho
7
North Dakota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or North Dakota better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. North Dakota on taxes ($4,313 a year for a median household against $7,085); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 98); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 285); North Dakota on schools (ranked 17th against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or North Dakota?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 98. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $255K in North Dakota (2024). On state and local taxes North Dakota saves a median household about $2,800 a year.
Does Idaho or North Dakota have lower taxes?
North Dakota. 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 $4,313 in North Dakota ($509 income tax, $2,244 property tax on the median home and $1,559 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Idaho or North Dakota?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 285 in North Dakota; property crime is 1,535 against 1,779.
Which has better schools, Idaho or North Dakota?
North Dakota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and North Dakota 17th.
Is Idaho or North Dakota better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; North Dakota does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,040 a year in Idaho and $2,244 in North Dakota.