State comparison
Missouri vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $3,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Missouri, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 86).
Missouri
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 7 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Missouri vs Nevada
Missouri has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.7%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,325 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.88% of home value a year in Missouri and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,112 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.33% in Missouri and 8.23% in Nevada; Nevada is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,300 a year in Missouri, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Missouri's cost of living index is 86 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Missouri is about 17% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $240K in Missouri and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $175K gap in Missouri's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in Missouri and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in Missouri and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 581 incidents per 100,000 residents in Missouri and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Missouri is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 2% lower. Property crime is 2,695 per 100,000 in Missouri against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Nevada.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.3 years in Missouri and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.2-year edge for Nevada. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Missouri's health system 43rd of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Nevada scores better on care.
8.2% of Missouri residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Missouri. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Missouri's K-12 schools 33rd in the country and Nevada's 48th, 15 places apart in Missouri's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Missouri does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Missouri went to Trump by 19 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Missouri 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 Missouri is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Missouri and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.30 an hour in Missouri and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Missouri (tornado, flood, ice-storm) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat), so Nevada is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Missouri and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Missouri.
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
Missouri
8
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Missouri or Nevada better to live in?
Missouri wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $7,300); Missouri on everyday costs (index 86 against 101); Missouri on safety (581 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Missouri on schools (ranked 33rd against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Missouri or Nevada?
Missouri is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 101. The median home is $240K in Missouri and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $3,300 a year.
Does Missouri or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,300 a year in Missouri ($3,325 income tax, $2,112 property tax on the median home and $1,864 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, Missouri or Nevada?
Missouri, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 581 per 100,000 residents in Missouri and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 2,695 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Missouri or Nevada?
Missouri. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Missouri 33rd of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Missouri or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Missouri taxes Social Security, partly 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 $2,112 a year in Missouri and $2,200 in Nevada.