State comparison
Idaho vs West Virginia: which state is better to live in?
West Virginia costs a median household about $1,700 a year less in state and local taxes than Idaho, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $883 a year against $2,040 in Idaho.
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 8 categories
West Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Idaho vs West Virginia
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. West Virginia has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.12%, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,723 a year. West Virginia wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Idaho and 0.57% in West Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,040 against $883, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho and 6.37% in West Virginia; 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, $6,031 in West Virginia. West Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Idaho's cost of living index is 96 and West Virginia's is 82, where 100 is the national average; West Virginia is about 17% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $425K in Idaho and $155K in West Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $270K gap in West Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Idaho and $900 in West Virginia.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Idaho and $1,100 in West Virginia, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 228 incidents per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 278 in West Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 22% lower. Property crime is 1,535 per 100,000 in Idaho against 1,380 in West Virginia, again favoring West Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.7 years in Idaho and 71.9 in West Virginia (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 West Virginia's 46th, so Idaho scores better on care.
9.0% of Idaho residents have no health insurance against 6.6% in West Virginia, which favors West Virginia. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho's K-12 schools 30th in the country and West Virginia's 49th, 19 places apart in Idaho's favor. West Virginia 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 West Virginia went to Trump by 36 points.
Idaho has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; West Virginia 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 West Virginia as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Idaho and $10.12 in West Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in West Virginia (flood, ice-storm, tornado). Annual average air quality index is 48 in Idaho and 44 in West Virginia (under 50 is good), favoring West Virginia.
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
6
West Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Idaho or West Virginia better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. West Virginia on taxes ($6,031 a year for a median household against $7,713); West Virginia on everyday costs (index 82 against 96); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 278); Idaho on schools (ranked 30th against 49th).
Which is cheaper, Idaho or West Virginia?
West Virginia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 96. The median home is $425K in Idaho and $155K in West Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes West Virginia saves a median household about $1,700 a year.
Does Idaho or West Virginia have lower taxes?
West Virginia. 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 $6,031 in West Virginia ($3,723 income tax, $883 property tax on the median home and $1,425 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Idaho or West Virginia?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 228 per 100,000 residents in Idaho and 278 in West Virginia; property crime is 1,535 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Idaho or West Virginia?
Idaho. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Idaho 30th of 50 for K-12 and West Virginia 49th. West Virginia also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Idaho or West Virginia 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; West Virginia 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 $883 in West Virginia.