State comparison
Maine vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $5,700 a year less in state and local taxes than Maine, mostly because it has no income tax.
Maine
High tax burden · COL index 107
Wins 8 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Maine vs Nevada
Maine has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.15%, which works out to 6.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,813 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Maine and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,744 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.50% in Maine and 8.23% in Nevada; Maine is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $9,787 a year in Maine, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Maine's cost of living index is 107 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 6% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $360K in Maine and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $55K gap in Maine's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month in Maine and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $900 a year in Maine and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 109 incidents per 100,000 residents in Maine and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Maine is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 446% lower. Property crime is 1,187 per 100,000 in Maine against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Maine.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.8 years in Maine and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.3-year edge for Maine. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Maine's health system 7th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Maine scores better on care.
6.9% of Maine residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Maine. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maine's K-12 schools 14th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 34 places apart in Maine's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Maine went to Harris by 6 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Maine has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of B-; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Maine regulates guns more tightly and Nevada is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.15 an hour in Maine and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is low in Maine (blizzard, flood) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat), so Maine is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 26 in Maine and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Maine.
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
Maine
8
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Maine or Nevada better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $9,787); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 107); Maine on safety (109 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Maine on schools (ranked 14th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Maine or Nevada?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 107. The median home is $360K in Maine and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $5,700 a year.
Does Maine or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $9,787 a year in Maine ($4,813 income tax, $3,744 property tax on the median home and $1,231 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, Maine or Nevada?
Maine, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 109 per 100,000 residents in Maine and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,187 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Maine or Nevada?
Maine. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maine 14th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th.
Is Maine or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Maine does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,744 a year in Maine and $2,200 in Nevada.