State comparison
Nevada vs Oregon: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $6,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Oregon, mostly because it has no income tax.
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs Oregon
Nevada has no state income tax. Oregon has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.9%, which works out to 8.3% on a median income of $74,580, or $6,207 a year. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 0.82% in Oregon (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $3,936, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Oregon has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $4,041 a year in Nevada, $10,143 in Oregon. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and Oregon'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 $480K in Oregon (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,700 in Oregon.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $800 in Oregon.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 302 in Oregon (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Oregon is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 97% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 3,078 in Oregon, again favoring Nevada.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 78 in Oregon (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.5-year edge for Oregon. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and Oregon's 14th, so Oregon scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada residents have no health insurance against 7.1% in Oregon, which favors Oregon. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and Oregon's 21st, 27 places apart in Oregon's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Oregon does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nevada went to Trump by 3 points and Oregon went to Harris by 14 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Oregon 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 $14.70 in Oregon.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood), so Nevada is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 50 in Oregon (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
Oregon
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or Oregon better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $10,143); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 110); Oregon on safety (302 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Oregon on schools (ranked 21st against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or Oregon?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 110. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $480K in Oregon (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $6,100 a year.
Does Nevada or Oregon 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 $10,143 in Oregon ($6,207 income tax, $3,936 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Nevada or Oregon?
Oregon, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 302 in Oregon; property crime is 2,634 against 3,078.
Which has better schools, Nevada or Oregon?
Oregon. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and Oregon 21st. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Nevada or Oregon 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; Oregon does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,200 a year in Nevada and $3,936 in Oregon.