State comparison
Maryland vs Nebraska: which state is better to live in?
Maryland and Nebraska cost a median household almost the same in state and local taxes, $8,906 a year against $9,056, so the choice comes down to housing, safety and schools.
Maryland
High tax burden · COL index 116
Wins 6 categories
Nebraska
High tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Maryland vs Nebraska
Maryland has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.75%, which works out to 4.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,490 a year. Nebraska has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.99%, which works out to 4.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,688 a year. Maryland wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.97% of home value a year in Maryland and 1.44% in Nebraska (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,074 against $3,816, so Maryland has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.00% in Maryland and 6.94% in Nebraska; Maryland is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,906 a year in Maryland, $9,056 in Nebraska. Maryland is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Maryland's cost of living index is 116 and Nebraska's is 91, where 100 is the national average; Nebraska is about 27% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $420K in Maryland and $265K in Nebraska (Zillow, 2024), a $155K gap in Nebraska's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,950 a month in Maryland and $1,150 in Nebraska.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Maryland and $2,200 in Nebraska, so Maryland is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 468 incidents per 100,000 residents in Maryland and 311 in Nebraska (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Nebraska is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 50% lower. Property crime is 1,734 per 100,000 in Maryland against 1,956 in Nebraska, again favoring Maryland.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.4 years in Maryland and 78.6 in Nebraska (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.2-year edge for Nebraska. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Maryland's health system 12th of 50 and Nebraska's 26th, so Maryland scores better on care.
6.5% of Maryland residents have no health insurance against 7.1% in Nebraska, which favors Maryland. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maryland's K-12 schools 4th in the country and Nebraska's 18th, 14 places apart in Maryland's favor. Nebraska runs a school-choice voucher program; Maryland does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Maryland went to Harris by 24 points and Nebraska went to Trump by 19 points.
Maryland has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Nebraska has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Maryland regulates guns more tightly and Nebraska is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Maryland and legal with limits in Nebraska, and marijuana is legal for adults in Maryland and medical only in Nebraska as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.00 an hour in Maryland and $12.00 in Nebraska.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Maryland (hurricane, flood) and high in Nebraska (tornado, blizzard, flood), so Maryland is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 40 in Maryland and 33 in Nebraska (under 50 is good), favoring Nebraska.
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
6
Maryland
9
Nebraska
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Maryland or Nebraska better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Maryland on taxes ($8,906 a year for a median household against $9,056); Nebraska on everyday costs (index 91 against 116); Nebraska on safety (311 violent crimes per 100,000 against 468); Maryland on schools (ranked 4th against 18th).
Which is cheaper, Maryland or Nebraska?
Nebraska is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 116. The median home is $420K in Maryland and $265K in Nebraska (2024). On state and local taxes Maryland saves a median household about $150 a year.
Does Maryland or Nebraska have lower taxes?
Maryland. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,906 a year in Maryland ($3,490 income tax, $4,074 property tax on the median home and $1,342 in sales tax) and $9,056 in Nebraska ($3,688 income tax, $3,816 property tax on the median home and $1,553 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Maryland or Nebraska?
Nebraska, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 468 per 100,000 residents in Maryland and 311 in Nebraska; property crime is 1,734 against 1,956.
Which has better schools, Maryland or Nebraska?
Maryland. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maryland 4th of 50 for K-12 and Nebraska 18th. Nebraska also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Maryland or Nebraska better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Maryland does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Nebraska does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $4,074 a year in Maryland and $3,816 in Nebraska.