State comparison
Idaho vs Oregon: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $3,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Oregon, mostly because its income tax takes 5.0% of a median income against 8.3% in Oregon.
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 9 categories
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs Oregon
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. Oregon has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.9%, which works out to 8.3% on a median income of $74,580, or $6,207 a year. Idaho wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 0.82% in Oregon (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $3,936, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Oregon has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,085 a year in Idaho, $10,143 in Oregon. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and Oregon's is 110, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 15% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $480K in Oregon (Zillow, 2024), a $55K gap in Idaho's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $1,700 in Oregon.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $800 in Oregon.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 302 in Oregon (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 32% lower. Property crime is 1,535 per 100,000 in Idaho against 3,078 in Oregon, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 78 in Oregon (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.3-year edge for Oregon. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Idaho's health system 32nd of 50 and Oregon's 14th, so Oregon scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho residents have no health insurance against 7.1% in Oregon, which favors Oregon. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and Oregon's 21st, 9 places apart in Oregon'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 Oregon went to Harris by 14 points.
Idaho has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Oregon 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 Oregon, and marijuana is illegal in Idaho and legal for adults in Oregon as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $14.70 in Oregon.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood), so Idaho is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho and 50 in Oregon (under 50 is good), favoring Idaho.
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
5
Oregon
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or Oregon better to live in?
Idaho wins more of the measures that decide a move. Idaho on taxes ($7,085 a year for a median household against $10,143); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 110); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 302); Oregon on schools (ranked 21st against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or Oregon?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 110. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $480K in Oregon (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $3,100 a year.
Does Idaho or Oregon 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 $10,143 in Oregon ($6,207 income tax, $3,936 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Idaho or Oregon?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 302 in Oregon; property crime is 1,535 against 3,078.
Which has better schools, Idaho or Oregon?
Oregon. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and Oregon 21st.
Is Idaho or Oregon 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; Oregon does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,040 a year in Idaho and $3,936 in Oregon.