State comparison
Indiana vs Ohio: which state is better to live in?
Indiana costs a median household about $700 a year less in state and local taxes than Ohio, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,704 a year against $3,220 in Ohio.
Indiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 7 categories
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Indiana vs Ohio
Indiana has a flat 3.05% income tax, which works out to 3.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,200 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 0.71% of home value a year in Indiana and 1.37% in Ohio (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,704 against $3,220, so Indiana has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in Indiana and 7.22% in Ohio; Indiana is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,470 a year in Indiana, $6,169 in Ohio. Indiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Indiana's cost of living index is 87 and Ohio's is 88, where 100 is the national average; Indiana is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $240K in Indiana and $235K in Ohio (Zillow, 2024), a $5K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Indiana and $1,050 in Ohio.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Indiana and $1,200 in Ohio, so Ohio is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 396 incidents per 100,000 residents in Indiana and 303 in Ohio (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Ohio is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 31% lower. Property crime is 1,767 per 100,000 in Indiana against 2,081 in Ohio, again favoring Indiana.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Indiana and 75.4 in Ohio (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.1-year edge for Indiana. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Indiana's health system 42nd of 50 and Ohio's 22nd, so Ohio scores better on care.
8.9% of Indiana 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 Indiana's K-12 schools 27th in the country and Ohio's 28th, 1 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 Ohio went to Trump by 12 points.
Indiana 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 Indiana and protected by state law in Ohio, and marijuana is illegal in Indiana and legal for adults in Ohio as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Indiana and $10.45 in Ohio.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Indiana (tornado, flood) and moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 48 in Indiana 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
Indiana
6
Ohio
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Indiana or Ohio better to live in?
Indiana wins more of the measures that decide a move. Indiana on taxes ($5,470 a year for a median household against $6,169); Indiana on everyday costs (index 87 against 88); Ohio on safety (303 violent crimes per 100,000 against 396); Indiana on schools (ranked 27th against 28th).
Which is cheaper, Indiana or Ohio?
Indiana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 87 against 88. The median home is $240K in Indiana and $235K in Ohio (2024). On state and local taxes Indiana saves a median household about $700 a year.
Does Indiana or Ohio have lower taxes?
Indiana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,470 a year in Indiana ($2,200 income tax, $1,704 property tax on the median home and $1,566 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, Indiana or Ohio?
Ohio, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 396 per 100,000 residents in Indiana and 303 in Ohio; property crime is 1,767 against 2,081.
Which has better schools, Indiana or Ohio?
Indiana. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Indiana 27th of 50 for K-12 and Ohio 28th.
Is Indiana or Ohio better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Indiana 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 $1,704 a year in Indiana and $3,220 in Ohio.