State comparison
Nevada vs New Mexico: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $2,600 a year less in state and local taxes than New Mexico, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 91).
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 7 categories
New Mexico
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs New Mexico
Nevada has no state income tax. New Mexico has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.9%, which works out to 4.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,112 a year. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 0.55% in New Mexico (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $1,815, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada and 7.82% in New Mexico; New Mexico 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, $6,677 in New Mexico. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and New Mexico's is 91, where 100 is the national average; New Mexico is about 11% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $330K in New Mexico (Zillow, 2024), a $85K gap in New Mexico's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,250 in New Mexico.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $1,600 in New Mexico, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 778 in New Mexico (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Nevada is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 31% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 3,286 in New Mexico, again favoring Nevada.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 74.1 in New Mexico (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.4-year edge for Nevada. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and New Mexico's 49th, so Nevada scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada residents have no health insurance against 9.2% in New Mexico, which favors New Mexico. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and New Mexico's 46th, 2 places apart in New Mexico's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; New Mexico does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nevada went to Trump by 3 points and New Mexico went to Harris by 10 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; New Mexico has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of B-, so New Mexico 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 $12.00 in New Mexico.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and high in New Mexico (wildfire, drought, flash-flood), so Nevada is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 44 in New Mexico (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
7
Nevada
8
New Mexico
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or New Mexico better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $6,677); New Mexico on everyday costs (index 91 against 101); Nevada on safety (595 violent crimes per 100,000 against 778); New Mexico on schools (ranked 46th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or New Mexico?
New Mexico is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 101. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $330K in New Mexico (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $2,600 a year.
Does Nevada or New Mexico 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 $6,677 in New Mexico ($3,112 income tax, $1,815 property tax on the median home and $1,750 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Nevada or New Mexico?
Nevada, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 778 in New Mexico; property crime is 2,634 against 3,286.
Which has better schools, Nevada or New Mexico?
New Mexico. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and New Mexico 46th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Nevada or New Mexico 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 Mexico does not tax 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 $1,815 in New Mexico.