State comparison
Nevada vs New Jersey: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $10,500 a year less in state and local taxes than New Jersey, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,200 a year against $10,650 in New Jersey.
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 9 categories
New Jersey
High tax burden · COL index 121
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs New Jersey
Nevada has no state income tax. New Jersey has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.75%, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,628 a year. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 2.13% in New Jersey (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $10,650, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada and 6.60% in New Jersey; New Jersey 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, $14,755 in New Jersey. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and New Jersey's is 121, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 20% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $500K in New Jersey (Zillow, 2024), a $85K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $2,200 in New Jersey.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $1,400 in New Jersey, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 213 in New Jersey (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Jersey is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 179% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 1,368 in New Jersey, again favoring New Jersey.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 79 in New Jersey (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.5-year edge for New Jersey. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and New Jersey's 19th, so New Jersey scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in New Jersey, which favors New Jersey. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and New Jersey's 2nd, 46 places apart in New Jersey's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; New Jersey does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nevada went to Trump by 3 points and New Jersey went to Harris by 6 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; New Jersey has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so New Jersey 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 $15.13 in New Jersey.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and moderate in New Jersey (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 35 in New Jersey (under 50 is good), favoring New Jersey.
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
Nevada
6
New Jersey
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or New Jersey better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $14,755); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 121); New Jersey on safety (213 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); New Jersey on schools (ranked 2nd against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or New Jersey?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 121. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $500K in New Jersey (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $10,500 a year.
Does Nevada or New Jersey 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 $14,755 in New Jersey ($2,628 income tax, $10,650 property tax on the median home and $1,477 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Nevada or New Jersey?
New Jersey, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 213 in New Jersey; property crime is 2,634 against 1,368.
Which has better schools, Nevada or New Jersey?
New Jersey. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and New Jersey 2nd. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Nevada or New Jersey 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; New Jersey does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,200 a year in Nevada and $10,650 in New Jersey.