State comparison
Nevada vs Ohio: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $2,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Ohio, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 88).
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 6 categories
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs Ohio
Nevada has no state income tax. Ohio has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.5%, which works out to 1.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,335 a year. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 1.37% in Ohio (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $3,220, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada and 7.22% in Ohio; Ohio 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, $6,169 in Ohio. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and Ohio's is 88, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 15% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $235K in Ohio (Zillow, 2024), a $180K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,050 in Ohio.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $1,200 in Ohio, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 303 in Ohio (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Ohio is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 96% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 2,081 in Ohio, again favoring Ohio.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 75.4 in Ohio (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.1-year edge for Nevada. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and Ohio's 22nd, so Ohio scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Ohio, which favors Ohio. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and Ohio's 28th, 20 places apart in Ohio's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nevada went to Trump by 3 points and Ohio went to Trump by 12 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F, so Nevada regulates guns more tightly and Ohio 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 $10.45 in Ohio.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 45 in Ohio (under 50 is good), favoring Nevada.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
Nevada
9
Ohio
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or Ohio better to live in?
Ohio wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $6,169); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 101); Ohio on safety (303 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Ohio on schools (ranked 28th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or Ohio?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 101. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $235K in Ohio (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $2,100 a year.
Does Nevada or Ohio 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 $6,169 in Ohio ($1,335 income tax, $3,220 property tax on the median home and $1,615 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Nevada or Ohio?
Ohio, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 303 in Ohio; property crime is 2,634 against 2,081.
Which has better schools, Nevada or Ohio?
Ohio. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and Ohio 28th.
Is Nevada or Ohio 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; Ohio 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 $3,220 in Ohio.