State comparison
Mississippi vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $1,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Mississippi, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 82).
Mississippi
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 7 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Mississippi vs Nevada
Mississippi has a flat 4.7% income tax, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,583 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.64% of home value a year in Mississippi and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,152 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.07% in Mississippi and 8.23% in Nevada; Mississippi is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,317 a year in Mississippi, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Mississippi's cost of living index is 82 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Mississippi is about 23% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $180K in Mississippi and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $235K gap in Mississippi's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $950 a month in Mississippi and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $2,500 a year in Mississippi and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 283 incidents per 100,000 residents in Mississippi and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Mississippi is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 110% lower. Property crime is 2,080 per 100,000 in Mississippi against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Mississippi.
Health
Life expectancy is 71.9 years in Mississippi and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.6-year edge for Nevada. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Mississippi's health system 47th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Nevada scores better on care.
16.8% of Mississippi residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Nevada. Nevada expanded Medicaid and Mississippi did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Mississippi's K-12 schools 50th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 2 places apart in Nevada's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Mississippi went to Trump by 17 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Mississippi has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Nevada regulates guns more tightly and Mississippi is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Mississippi and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is medical only in Mississippi and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Mississippi and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Mississippi (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat), so Nevada is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 32 in Mississippi and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Mississippi.
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
Mississippi
8
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Mississippi or Nevada better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $5,317); Mississippi on everyday costs (index 82 against 101); Mississippi on safety (283 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Nevada on schools (ranked 48th against 50th).
Which is cheaper, Mississippi or Nevada?
Mississippi is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 101. The median home is $180K in Mississippi and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $1,300 a year.
Does Mississippi or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,317 a year in Mississippi ($2,583 income tax, $1,152 property tax on the median home and $1,582 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, Mississippi or Nevada?
Mississippi, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 283 per 100,000 residents in Mississippi and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 2,080 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Mississippi or Nevada?
Nevada. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Mississippi 50th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th.
Is Mississippi or Nevada better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Mississippi does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,152 a year in Mississippi and $2,200 in Nevada.