State comparison
Indiana vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $1,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Indiana, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 87).
Indiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 8 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Indiana vs Nevada
Indiana has a flat 3.05% income tax, which works out to 3.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,349 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in Indiana and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,704 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in Indiana and 8.23% in Nevada; Indiana is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,619 a year in Indiana, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Indiana's cost of living index is 87 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Indiana is about 16% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $240K in Indiana and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $175K gap in Indiana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Indiana and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Indiana and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 396 incidents per 100,000 residents in Indiana and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Indiana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 50% lower. Property crime is 1,767 per 100,000 in Indiana against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Indiana.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Indiana and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024). The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Indiana's health system 42nd of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Nevada scores better on care.
8.9% of Indiana residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Indiana. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Indiana's K-12 schools 27th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 21 places apart in Indiana's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Indiana went to Trump by 19 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Indiana has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Nevada regulates guns more tightly and Indiana is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Indiana and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is illegal in Indiana and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Indiana and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Indiana (tornado, flood) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 48 in Indiana and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Nevada.
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
Indiana
6
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Indiana or Nevada better to live in?
Indiana wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $5,619); Indiana on everyday costs (index 87 against 101); Indiana on safety (396 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Indiana on schools (ranked 27th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Indiana or Nevada?
Indiana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 87 against 101. The median home is $240K in Indiana and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $1,600 a year.
Does Indiana or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,619 a year in Indiana ($2,349 income tax, $1,704 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax) and $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Indiana or Nevada?
Indiana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 396 per 100,000 residents in Indiana and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,767 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Indiana or Nevada?
Indiana. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Indiana 27th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th.
Is Indiana or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Indiana does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,704 a year in Indiana and $2,200 in Nevada.