State comparison
Massachusetts vs Utah: which state is better to live in?
Utah costs a median household about $3,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Massachusetts, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,200 a year against $6,032 in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts
High tax burden · COL index 148
Wins 7 categories
Utah
Moderate tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Massachusetts vs Utah
Massachusetts has a graduated income tax topping out at 9%, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,729 a year. Utah has a flat 4.65% income tax, which works out to 4.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,468 a year. Utah wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Massachusetts and 0.44% in Utah (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,032 against $2,200, so Utah has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.25% in Massachusetts and 7.19% in Utah; Massachusetts is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,159 a year in Massachusetts, $7,277 in Utah. Utah is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Massachusetts's cost of living index is 148 and Utah's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Utah is about 47% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $580K in Massachusetts and $500K in Utah (Zillow, 2024), a $80K gap in Utah's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,400 a month in Massachusetts and $1,650 in Utah.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Massachusetts and $900 in Utah, so Utah is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 338 incidents per 100,000 residents in Massachusetts and 237 in Utah (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Utah is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 43% lower. Property crime is 1,283 per 100,000 in Massachusetts against 2,280 in Utah, again favoring Massachusetts.
Health
Life expectancy is 80 years in Massachusetts and 79.2 in Utah (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.8-year edge for Massachusetts. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Massachusetts's health system 1st of 50 and Utah's 31st, so Massachusetts scores better on care.
3.1% of Massachusetts residents have no health insurance against 9.8% in Utah, which favors Massachusetts. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Massachusetts's K-12 schools 1st in the country and Utah's 37th, 36 places apart in Massachusetts's favor. Utah runs a school-choice voucher program; Massachusetts does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Massachusetts went to Harris by 28 points and Utah went to Trump by 13 points.
Massachusetts has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Utah has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Massachusetts regulates guns more tightly and Utah is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Massachusetts and banned with narrow exceptions in Utah, and marijuana is legal for adults in Massachusetts and medical only in Utah as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.00 an hour in Massachusetts and $7.25 in Utah.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Massachusetts (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and moderate in Utah (drought, wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 30 in Massachusetts and 55 in Utah (under 50 is good), favoring Massachusetts.
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
7
Massachusetts
10
Utah
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Massachusetts or Utah better to live in?
Utah wins more of the measures that decide a move. Utah on taxes ($7,277 a year for a median household against $11,159); Utah on everyday costs (index 101 against 148); Utah on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 338); Massachusetts on schools (ranked 1st against 37th).
Which is cheaper, Massachusetts or Utah?
Utah is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 148. The median home is $580K in Massachusetts and $500K in Utah (2024). On state and local taxes Utah saves a median household about $3,900 a year.
Does Massachusetts or Utah have lower taxes?
Utah. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,159 a year in Massachusetts ($3,729 income tax, $6,032 property tax on the median home and $1,398 in sales tax) and $7,277 in Utah ($3,468 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,609 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Massachusetts or Utah?
Utah, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 338 per 100,000 residents in Massachusetts and 237 in Utah; property crime is 1,283 against 2,280.
Which has better schools, Massachusetts or Utah?
Massachusetts. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Massachusetts 1st of 50 for K-12 and Utah 37th. Utah also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Massachusetts or Utah better for retirees?
Massachusetts is friendlier to retirees on paper. Massachusetts does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Utah taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $6,032 a year in Massachusetts and $2,200 in Utah.