State comparison
Iowa vs Ohio: which state is better to live in?
Ohio costs a median household about $1,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Iowa, mostly because its income tax takes 1.8% of a median income against 3.8% in Iowa.
Iowa
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 8 categories
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 3 categories
Taxes: Iowa vs Ohio
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. 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 1.42% of home value a year in Iowa and 1.37% in Ohio (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,053 against $3,220, so Ohio has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.94% in Iowa and 7.22% in Ohio; 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, $6,169 in Ohio. Ohio is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Iowa's cost of living index is 88 and Ohio's is 88, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $215K in Iowa and $235K in Ohio (Zillow, 2024), a $20K gap in Iowa's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Iowa and $1,050 in Ohio.
Home insurance averages $1,700 a year in Iowa and $1,200 in Ohio, so Ohio is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 284 incidents per 100,000 residents in Iowa and 303 in Ohio (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Iowa is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 7% lower. Property crime is 1,626 per 100,000 in Iowa against 2,081 in Ohio, again favoring Iowa.
Health
Life expectancy is 78 years in Iowa and 75.4 in Ohio (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.6-year edge for Iowa. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Iowa's health system 21st of 50 and Ohio's 22nd, so Iowa scores better on care.
5.8% of Iowa residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Ohio, 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 Ohio's 28th, 13 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 Ohio went to Trump by 12 points.
Iowa 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 Iowa and protected by state law in Ohio, and marijuana is medical only in Iowa and legal for adults in Ohio as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Iowa and $10.45 in Ohio.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Iowa (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard), so Ohio is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 34 in Iowa and 45 in Ohio (under 50 is good), favoring Iowa.
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
8
Iowa
3
Ohio
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Iowa or Ohio better to live in?
Iowa wins more of the measures that decide a move. Ohio on taxes ($6,169 a year for a median household against $7,440); Iowa on safety (284 violent crimes per 100,000 against 303); Iowa on schools (ranked 15th against 28th).
Which is cheaper, Iowa or Ohio?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 88. The median home is $215K in Iowa and $235K in Ohio (2024). On state and local taxes Ohio saves a median household about $1,300 a year.
Does Iowa or Ohio have lower taxes?
Ohio. 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 $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, Iowa or Ohio?
Iowa, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 284 per 100,000 residents in Iowa and 303 in Ohio; property crime is 1,626 against 2,081.
Which has better schools, Iowa or Ohio?
Iowa. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Iowa 15th of 50 for K-12 and Ohio 28th.
Is Iowa or Ohio better for retirees?
Iowa is friendlier to retirees on paper. Iowa does not tax Social Security, 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 $3,053 a year in Iowa and $3,220 in Ohio.