State comparison
Idaho vs Utah: which state is better to live in?
Idaho and Utah cost a median household almost the same in state and local taxes, $7,085 a year against $7,128, so the choice comes down to housing, safety and schools.
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 11 categories
Utah
Moderate tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs Utah
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. Utah has a flat 4.65% income tax, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,319 a year. Utah wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 0.44% in Utah (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $2,200, so Utah has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho and 7.19% in Utah; 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, $7,128 in Utah. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and Utah's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $500K in Utah (Zillow, 2024), a $75K gap in Idaho's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $1,650 in Utah.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $900 in Utah, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 237 in Utah (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 4% lower. Property crime is 1,535 per 100,000 in Idaho against 2,280 in Utah, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 79.2 in Utah (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.5-year edge for Utah. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Idaho's health system 32nd of 50 and Utah's 31st, so Utah scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho residents have no health insurance against 9.8% in Utah, which favors Idaho. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and Utah's 37th, 7 places apart in Idaho's favor. Utah 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 Utah went to Trump by 13 points.
Idaho has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Utah 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 Utah as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $7.25 in Utah.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in Utah (drought, wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho and 55 in Utah (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
11
Idaho
4
Utah
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or Utah 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 $7,128); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 101); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 237); Idaho on schools (ranked 30th against 37th).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or Utah?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 101. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $500K in Utah (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $40 a year.
Does Idaho or Utah 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 $7,128 in Utah ($3,319 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,609 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Idaho or Utah?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 237 in Utah; property crime is 1,535 against 2,280.
Which has better schools, Idaho or Utah?
Idaho. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and Utah 37th. Utah also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Idaho or Utah 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; Utah taxes 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 $2,200 in Utah.