State comparison
Kansas vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $4,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Kansas, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 86).
Kansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 9 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Kansas vs Nevada
Kansas has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.7%, which works out to 5.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,794 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.24% of home value a year in Kansas and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,728 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.68% in Kansas and 8.23% in Nevada; Nevada is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,464 a year in Kansas, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Kansas's cost of living index is 86 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Kansas is about 17% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $220K in Kansas and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $195K gap in Kansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Kansas and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $4,500 a year in Kansas and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 410 incidents per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Kansas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 45% lower. Property crime is 2,225 per 100,000 in Kansas against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Kansas.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Kansas and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.7-year edge for Kansas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Kansas's health system 29th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Kansas scores better on care.
9.6% of Kansas residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Kansas. Nevada expanded Medicaid and Kansas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kansas's K-12 schools 26th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 22 places apart in Kansas's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Kansas does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Kansas went to Trump by 20 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Kansas 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 Kansas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is illegal in Kansas and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Kansas and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Kansas (tornado, blizzard, drought) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat), so Nevada is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Kansas and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Kansas.
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
9
Kansas
6
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Kansas or Nevada better to live in?
Kansas wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $8,464); Kansas on everyday costs (index 86 against 101); Kansas on safety (410 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Kansas on schools (ranked 26th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Kansas or Nevada?
Kansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 101. The median home is $220K in Kansas and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $4,400 a year.
Does Kansas or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,464 a year in Kansas ($3,794 income tax, $2,728 property tax on the median home and $1,942 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, Kansas or Nevada?
Kansas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 410 per 100,000 residents in Kansas and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 2,225 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Kansas or Nevada?
Kansas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Kansas 26th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Kansas or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Kansas taxes 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 $2,728 a year in Kansas and $2,200 in Nevada.