State comparison
Iowa vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $3,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Iowa, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 88).
Iowa
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 10 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Iowa vs Nevada
Iowa has a flat 3.8% income tax, which works out to 3.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,834 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.42% of home value a year in Iowa and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,053 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.94% in Iowa and 8.23% in Nevada; Iowa is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,440 a year in Iowa, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Iowa's cost of living index is 88 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Iowa is about 15% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $215K in Iowa and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $200K gap in Iowa's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Iowa and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $1,700 a year in Iowa and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 284 incidents per 100,000 residents in Iowa and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Iowa is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 110% lower. Property crime is 1,626 per 100,000 in Iowa against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Iowa.
Health
Life expectancy is 78 years in Iowa and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.5-year edge for Iowa. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Iowa's health system 21st of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Iowa scores better on care.
5.8% of Iowa residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Iowa. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Iowa's K-12 schools 15th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 33 places apart in Iowa's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Iowa went to Trump by 13 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Iowa 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 Iowa is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Iowa and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is medical only in Iowa and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Iowa and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Iowa (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat), so Nevada is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 34 in Iowa and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Iowa.
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
10
Iowa
5
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Iowa or Nevada better to live in?
Iowa wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $7,440); Iowa on everyday costs (index 88 against 101); Iowa on safety (284 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Iowa on schools (ranked 15th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Iowa or Nevada?
Iowa is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 101. The median home is $215K in Iowa and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $3,400 a year.
Does Iowa or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,440 a year in Iowa ($2,834 income tax, $3,053 property tax on the median home and $1,553 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, Iowa or Nevada?
Iowa, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 284 per 100,000 residents in Iowa and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,626 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Iowa or Nevada?
Iowa. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Iowa 15th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th.
Is Iowa or Nevada better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Iowa does not tax Social Security, 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 $3,053 a year in Iowa and $2,200 in Nevada.