State comparison
Minnesota vs Idaho: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $2,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Minnesota, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,040 a year against $3,417 in Minnesota.
Minnesota
High tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 7 categories
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Minnesota vs Idaho
Minnesota has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.85%, which works out to 6.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,588 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. Idaho wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.02% of home value a year in Minnesota and 0.48% in Idaho (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,417 against $2,040, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.42% in Minnesota and 6.02% in Idaho; Idaho is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $9,666 a year in Minnesota, $7,085 in Idaho. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Minnesota's cost of living index is 95 and Idaho's is 96, where 100 is the national average; Minnesota is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $335K in Minnesota and $425K in Idaho (Zillow, 2024), a $90K gap in Minnesota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month in Minnesota and $1,500 in Idaho.
Home insurance averages $1,700 a year in Minnesota and $800 in Idaho, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 286 incidents per 100,000 residents in Minnesota and 228 in Idaho (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 25% lower. Property crime is 2,094 per 100,000 in Minnesota against 1,535 in Idaho, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.4 years in Minnesota and 77.7 in Idaho (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.7-year edge for Minnesota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Minnesota's health system 2nd of 50 and Idaho's 32nd, so Minnesota scores better on care.
4.5% of Minnesota residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in Idaho, which favors Minnesota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Minnesota's K-12 schools 8th in the country and Idaho's 30th, 22 places apart in Minnesota's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Minnesota went to Harris by 4 points and Idaho went to Trump by 30 points.
Minnesota has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of B; Idaho has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Minnesota regulates guns more tightly and Idaho is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Minnesota and banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho, and marijuana is legal for adults in Minnesota and illegal in Idaho as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.85 an hour in Minnesota and $7.25 in Idaho.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Minnesota (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Minnesota and 48 in Idaho (under 50 is good), favoring Minnesota.
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
Minnesota
9
Idaho
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Minnesota or Idaho better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Idaho on taxes ($7,085 a year for a median household against $9,666); Minnesota on everyday costs (index 95 against 96); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 286); Minnesota on schools (ranked 8th against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Minnesota or Idaho?
Minnesota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 96. The median home is $335K in Minnesota and $425K in Idaho (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $2,600 a year.
Does Minnesota or Idaho have lower taxes?
Idaho. A household earning $74,580 pays about $9,666 a year in Minnesota ($4,588 income tax, $3,417 property tax on the median home and $1,660 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, Minnesota or Idaho?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 286 per 100,000 residents in Minnesota and 228 in Idaho; property crime is 2,094 against 1,535.
Which has better schools, Minnesota or Idaho?
Minnesota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Minnesota 8th of 50 for K-12 and Idaho 30th.
Is Minnesota or Idaho better for retirees?
Idaho is friendlier to retirees on paper. Minnesota taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,417 a year in Minnesota and $2,040 in Idaho.