State comparison
Minnesota vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $5,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Minnesota, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 95).
Minnesota
High tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 9 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Minnesota vs Nevada
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. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.02% of home value a year in Minnesota and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,417 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.42% in Minnesota and 8.23% in Nevada; Minnesota 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, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Minnesota's cost of living index is 95 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Minnesota is about 6% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $335K in Minnesota and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $80K gap in Minnesota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month in Minnesota and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $1,700 a year in Minnesota and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 286 incidents per 100,000 residents in Minnesota and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Minnesota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 108% lower. Property crime is 2,094 per 100,000 in Minnesota against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Minnesota.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.4 years in Minnesota and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.9-year edge for Minnesota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Minnesota's health system 2nd of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Minnesota scores better on care.
4.5% of Minnesota residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, 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 Nevada's 48th, 40 places apart in Minnesota's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Minnesota does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Minnesota went to Harris by 4 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Minnesota has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of B; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Minnesota regulates guns more tightly and Nevada is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.85 an hour in Minnesota and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Minnesota (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Minnesota and 40 in Nevada (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
9
Minnesota
8
Nevada
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 Minnesota or Nevada better to live in?
Minnesota wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $9,666); Minnesota on everyday costs (index 95 against 101); Minnesota on safety (286 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Minnesota on schools (ranked 8th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Minnesota or Nevada?
Minnesota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 101. The median home is $335K in Minnesota and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $5,600 a year.
Does Minnesota or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. 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 $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Minnesota or Nevada?
Minnesota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 286 per 100,000 residents in Minnesota and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 2,094 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Minnesota or Nevada?
Minnesota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Minnesota 8th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Minnesota or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Minnesota taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,417 a year in Minnesota and $2,200 in Nevada.