State comparison
Indiana vs Oklahoma: which state is better to live in?
Indiana costs a median household about $1,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Oklahoma, mostly because its income tax takes 3.0% of a median income against 4.2% in Oklahoma.
Indiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 9 categories
Oklahoma
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: Indiana vs Oklahoma
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. Oklahoma has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.75%, which works out to 4.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,141 a year. Indiana wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in Indiana and 0.85% in Oklahoma (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,704 against $1,828, so Indiana has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in Indiana and 8.97% in Oklahoma; 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, $6,976 in Oklahoma. Indiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Indiana's cost of living index is 87 and Oklahoma's is 87, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $240K in Indiana and $215K in Oklahoma (Zillow, 2024), a $25K gap in Oklahoma's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Indiana and $1,000 in Oklahoma.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Indiana and $5,200 in Oklahoma, so Indiana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 396 incidents per 100,000 residents in Indiana and 449 in Oklahoma (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Indiana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 13% lower. Property crime is 1,767 per 100,000 in Indiana against 2,840 in Oklahoma, again favoring Indiana.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Indiana and 73.6 in Oklahoma (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.9-year edge for Indiana. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Indiana's health system 42nd of 50 and Oklahoma's 50th, so Indiana scores better on care.
8.9% of Indiana residents have no health insurance against 14.3% in Oklahoma, 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 Oklahoma's 43rd, 16 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 Oklahoma went to Trump by 33 points.
Indiana has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Oklahoma has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is illegal in Indiana and medical only in Oklahoma as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Indiana and $7.25 in Oklahoma.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Indiana (tornado, flood) and very high in Oklahoma (tornado, drought, ice-storm), so Indiana is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 48 in Indiana and 38 in Oklahoma (under 50 is good), favoring Oklahoma.
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
Indiana
4
Oklahoma
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Indiana or Oklahoma 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 $6,976); Indiana on safety (396 violent crimes per 100,000 against 449); Indiana on schools (ranked 27th against 43rd).
Which is cheaper, Indiana or Oklahoma?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 87. The median home is $240K in Indiana and $215K in Oklahoma (2024). On state and local taxes Indiana saves a median household about $1,500 a year.
Does Indiana or Oklahoma 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 $6,976 in Oklahoma ($3,141 income tax, $1,828 property tax on the median home and $2,007 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Indiana or Oklahoma?
Indiana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 396 per 100,000 residents in Indiana and 449 in Oklahoma; property crime is 1,767 against 2,840.
Which has better schools, Indiana or Oklahoma?
Indiana. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Indiana 27th of 50 for K-12 and Oklahoma 43rd.
Is Indiana or Oklahoma 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; Oklahoma 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 $1,828 in Oklahoma.