State comparison
Michigan vs Texas: which state is better to live in?
Texas costs a median household about $540 a year less in state and local taxes than Michigan, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 97 against 88).
Michigan
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 10 categories
Texas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Michigan vs Texas
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. Texas has no state income tax. Texas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.32% of home value a year in Michigan and 1.60% in Texas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,300 against $5,440, so Michigan has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.00% in Michigan and 8.19% in Texas; 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, $7,272 in Texas. Texas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Michigan's cost of living index is 88 and Texas's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Michigan is about 10% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $250K in Michigan and $340K in Texas (Zillow, 2024), a $90K gap in Michigan's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,150 a month in Michigan and $1,600 in Texas.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Michigan and $3,200 in Texas, so Michigan is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 445 incidents per 100,000 residents in Michigan and 447 in Texas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Michigan is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 0% lower. Property crime is 1,670 per 100,000 in Michigan against 2,478 in Texas, again favoring Michigan.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.7 years in Michigan and 76.3 in Texas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.6-year edge for Texas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Michigan's health system 25th of 50 and Texas's 36th, so Michigan scores better on care.
5.9% of Michigan residents have no health insurance against 18.4% in Texas, which favors Michigan. Michigan expanded Medicaid and Texas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Michigan's K-12 schools 38th in the country and Texas's 36th, 2 places apart in Texas's favor. Texas runs a school-choice voucher program; Michigan does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Michigan was a swing state decided by 2 points and Texas went to Trump by 14 points.
Michigan has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Texas has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Michigan regulates guns more tightly and Texas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Michigan and banned with narrow exceptions in Texas, and marijuana is legal for adults in Michigan and medical only in Texas as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.33 an hour in Michigan and $7.25 in Texas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Michigan (blizzard, flood, tornado) and very high in Texas (hurricane, tornado, flood), so Michigan is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 42 in Michigan and 43 in Texas (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
10
Michigan
6
Texas
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Michigan or Texas better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Texas on taxes ($7,272 a year for a median household against $7,812); Michigan on everyday costs (index 88 against 97); Michigan on safety (445 violent crimes per 100,000 against 447); Texas on schools (ranked 36th against 38th).
Which is cheaper, Michigan or Texas?
Michigan is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 97. The median home is $250K in Michigan and $340K in Texas (2024). On state and local taxes Texas saves a median household about $540 a year.
Does Michigan or Texas have lower taxes?
Texas. 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 $7,272 in Texas ($0 income tax, $5,440 property tax on the median home and $1,832 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Michigan or Texas?
Michigan, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 445 per 100,000 residents in Michigan and 447 in Texas; property crime is 1,670 against 2,478.
Which has better schools, Michigan or Texas?
Texas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Michigan 38th of 50 for K-12 and Texas 36th. Texas also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Michigan or Texas better for retirees?
Texas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Michigan taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Texas does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,300 a year in Michigan and $5,440 in Texas.