State comparison
Nevada vs Colorado: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $3,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Colorado, mostly because it has no income tax.
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs Colorado
Nevada has no state income tax. Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 0.48% in Colorado (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $2,616, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada and 7.76% in Colorado; Colorado is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $4,041 a year in Nevada, $7,634 in Colorado. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and Colorado's is 110, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 9% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $545K in Colorado (Zillow, 2024), a $130K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,850 in Colorado.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $2,800 in Colorado, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 453 in Colorado (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Colorado is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 31% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 2,859 in Colorado, again favoring Nevada.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 78.8 in Colorado (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.3-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and Colorado's 9th, so Colorado scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada residents have no health insurance against 7.4% in Colorado, which favors Colorado. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and Colorado's 9th, 39 places apart in Colorado's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Colorado does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nevada went to Trump by 3 points and Colorado went to Harris by 11 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Colorado 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 $12.00 an hour in Nevada and $14.42 in Colorado.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado), so Nevada is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 50 in Colorado (under 50 is good), favoring Nevada.
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
8
Nevada
7
Colorado
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 Nevada or Colorado better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $7,634); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 110); Colorado on safety (453 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or Colorado?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 110. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $545K in Colorado (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $3,600 a year.
Does Nevada or Colorado have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $4,041 a year in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax) and $7,634 in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Nevada or Colorado?
Colorado, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 453 in Colorado; property crime is 2,634 against 2,859.
Which has better schools, Nevada or Colorado?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and Colorado 9th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Nevada or Colorado better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,200 a year in Nevada and $2,616 in Colorado.