State comparison
Michigan vs Idaho: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $730 a year less in state and local taxes than Michigan, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,040 a year against $3,300 in Michigan, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 96 against 88).
Michigan
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 7 categories
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Michigan vs Idaho
Michigan has a flat 4.25% income tax, which works out to 4.3% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,170 a year. Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 a year. Michigan wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.32% of home value a year in Michigan and 0.48% in Idaho (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,300 against $2,040, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.00% in Michigan and 6.02% in Idaho; Michigan is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,812 a year in Michigan, $7,085 in Idaho. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Michigan's cost of living index is 88 and Idaho's is 96, where 100 is the national average; Michigan is about 9% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $250K in Michigan and $425K in Idaho (Zillow, 2024), a $175K gap in Michigan's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150 a month in Michigan and $1,500 in Idaho.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Michigan and $800 in Idaho, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 445 incidents per 100,000 residents in Michigan and 228 in Idaho (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 95% lower. Property crime is 1,670 per 100,000 in Michigan against 1,535 in Idaho, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.7 years in Michigan and 77.7 in Idaho (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.0-year edge for Idaho. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Michigan's health system 25th of 50 and Idaho's 32nd, so Michigan scores better on care.
5.9% of Michigan residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in Idaho, which favors Michigan. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Michigan's K-12 schools 38th in the country and Idaho's 30th, 8 places apart in Idaho's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Michigan was a swing state decided by 2 points and Idaho went to Trump by 30 points.
Michigan has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Idaho has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Michigan regulates guns more tightly and Idaho is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Michigan and banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho, and marijuana is legal for adults in Michigan and illegal in Idaho as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.33 an hour in Michigan and $7.25 in Idaho.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Michigan (blizzard, flood, tornado) and moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 42 in Michigan and 48 in Idaho (under 50 is good), favoring Michigan.
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
7
Michigan
8
Idaho
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Michigan or Idaho better to live in?
Idaho wins more of the measures that decide a move. Idaho on taxes ($7,085 a year for a median household against $7,812); Michigan on everyday costs (index 88 against 96); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 445); Idaho on schools (ranked 30th against 38th).
Which is cheaper, Michigan or Idaho?
Michigan is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 96. The median home is $250K in Michigan and $425K in Idaho (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $730 a year.
Does Michigan or Idaho have lower taxes?
Idaho. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,812 a year in Michigan ($3,170 income tax, $3,300 property tax on the median home and $1,342 in sales tax) and $7,085 in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Michigan or Idaho?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 445 per 100,000 residents in Michigan and 228 in Idaho; property crime is 1,670 against 1,535.
Which has better schools, Michigan or Idaho?
Idaho. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Michigan 38th of 50 for K-12 and Idaho 30th.
Is Michigan or Idaho better for retirees?
Idaho is friendlier to retirees on paper. Michigan taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,300 a year in Michigan and $2,040 in Idaho.