State comparison
Idaho vs Ohio: which state is better to live in?
Ohio costs a median household about $920 a year less in state and local taxes than Idaho, mostly because its income tax takes 1.8% of a median income against 5.0% in Idaho.
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 7 categories
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs Ohio
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. Ohio has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.5%, which works out to 1.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,335 a year. Ohio wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 1.37% in Ohio (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $3,220, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho and 7.22% in Ohio; 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, $6,169 in Ohio. Ohio is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and Ohio's is 88, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 9% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $235K in Ohio (Zillow, 2024), a $190K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $1,050 in Ohio.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $1,200 in Ohio, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 303 in Ohio (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 33% lower. Property crime is 1,535 per 100,000 in Idaho against 2,081 in Ohio, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 75.4 in Ohio (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.3-year edge for Idaho. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Idaho's health system 32nd of 50 and Ohio's 22nd, so Ohio scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Ohio, which favors Ohio. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and Ohio's 28th, 2 places apart in Ohio's favor. Ohio 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 Ohio went to Trump by 12 points.
Idaho has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho and protected by state law in Ohio, and marijuana is illegal in Idaho and legal for adults in Ohio as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $10.45 in Ohio.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho and 45 in Ohio (under 50 is good), favoring Ohio.
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
Ohio
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or Ohio better to live in?
Ohio wins more of the measures that decide a move. Ohio on taxes ($6,169 a year for a median household against $7,085); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 96); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 303); Ohio on schools (ranked 28th against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or Ohio?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 96. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $235K in Ohio (2024). On state and local taxes Ohio saves a median household about $920 a year.
Does Idaho or Ohio have lower taxes?
Ohio. 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 $6,169 in Ohio ($1,335 income tax, $3,220 property tax on the median home and $1,615 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Idaho or Ohio?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 303 in Ohio; property crime is 1,535 against 2,081.
Which has better schools, Idaho or Ohio?
Ohio. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and Ohio 28th. Ohio also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Idaho or Ohio 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; Ohio 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 $3,220 in Ohio.