State comparison
Nevada vs Rhode Island: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $5,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Rhode Island, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,200 a year against $5,590 in Rhode Island.
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 11 categories
Rhode Island
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs Rhode Island
Nevada has no state income tax. Rhode Island has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.99%, which works out to 3.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,797 a year. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 1.30% in Rhode Island (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $5,590, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada and 7.00% in Rhode Island; Rhode Island 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, $9,953 in Rhode Island. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and Rhode Island's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 13% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $430K in Rhode Island (Zillow, 2024), a $15K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,800 in Rhode Island.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $1,400 in Rhode Island, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 237 in Rhode Island (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Rhode Island is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 151% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 1,527 in Rhode Island, again favoring Rhode Island.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 78.1 in Rhode Island (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.6-year edge for Rhode Island. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and Rhode Island's 4th, so Rhode Island scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada residents have no health insurance against 4.7% in Rhode Island, which favors Rhode Island. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and Rhode Island's 13th, 35 places apart in Rhode Island's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Rhode Island does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nevada went to Trump by 3 points and Rhode Island went to Harris by 17 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Rhode Island has may-issue carry permits and a grade of B, so Rhode Island 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 $14.00 in Rhode Island.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and moderate in Rhode Island (hurricane, nor-easter, flood). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 32 in Rhode Island (under 50 is good), favoring Rhode Island.
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
11
Nevada
6
Rhode Island
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or Rhode Island better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $9,953); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 114); Rhode Island on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Rhode Island on schools (ranked 13th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or Rhode Island?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 114. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $430K in Rhode Island (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $5,900 a year.
Does Nevada or Rhode Island 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 $9,953 in Rhode Island ($2,797 income tax, $5,590 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Nevada or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 237 in Rhode Island; property crime is 2,634 against 1,527.
Which has better schools, Nevada or Rhode Island?
Rhode Island. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and Rhode Island 13th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Nevada or Rhode Island 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; Rhode Island taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,200 a year in Nevada and $5,590 in Rhode Island.