State comparison
Nevada vs North Dakota: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $270 a year less in state and local taxes than North Dakota, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 98).
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 4 categories
North Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 98
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs North Dakota
Nevada has no state income tax. North Dakota has a graduated income tax topping out at 2.5%, which works out to 0.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $509 a year. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 0.88% in North Dakota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $2,244, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada and 6.97% in North Dakota; North Dakota 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, $4,313 in North Dakota. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and North Dakota's is 98, where 100 is the national average; North Dakota is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $255K in North Dakota (Zillow, 2024), a $160K gap in North Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,100 in North Dakota.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $2,200 in North Dakota, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 285 in North Dakota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); North Dakota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 109% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 1,779 in North Dakota, again favoring North Dakota.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 78.8 in North Dakota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.3-year edge for North Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and North Dakota's 27th, so North Dakota scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada residents have no health insurance against 7.5% in North Dakota, which favors North Dakota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and North Dakota's 17th, 31 places apart in North Dakota's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; North Dakota does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nevada went to Trump by 3 points and North Dakota went to Trump by 33 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; North Dakota has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Nevada regulates guns more tightly and North Dakota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Nevada and banned with narrow exceptions in North Dakota, and marijuana is legal for adults in Nevada and medical only in North Dakota as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Nevada and $7.25 in North Dakota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and moderate in North Dakota (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 25 in North Dakota (under 50 is good), favoring North Dakota.
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
4
Nevada
11
North Dakota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or North Dakota better to live in?
North Dakota wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $4,313); North Dakota on everyday costs (index 98 against 101); North Dakota on safety (285 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); North Dakota on schools (ranked 17th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or North Dakota?
North Dakota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 98 against 101. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $255K in North Dakota (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $270 a year.
Does Nevada or North Dakota 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 $4,313 in North Dakota ($509 income tax, $2,244 property tax on the median home and $1,559 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Nevada or North Dakota?
North Dakota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 285 in North Dakota; property crime is 2,634 against 1,779.
Which has better schools, Nevada or North Dakota?
North Dakota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and North Dakota 17th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Nevada or North Dakota 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; North Dakota 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 $2,244 in North Dakota.