State comparison
Nevada vs Utah: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $3,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Utah, mostly because it has no income tax.
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 6 categories
Utah
Moderate tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs Utah
Nevada has no state income tax. Utah has a flat 4.65% income tax, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,319 a year. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 0.44% in Utah (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $2,200, so Utah has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada and 7.19% in Utah; Utah 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, $7,128 in Utah. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and Utah's is 101, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $500K in Utah (Zillow, 2024), a $85K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,650 in Utah.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $900 in Utah, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 237 in Utah (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Utah is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 151% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 2,280 in Utah, again favoring Utah.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 79.2 in Utah (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.7-year edge for Utah. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and Utah's 31st, so Utah scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada residents have no health insurance against 9.8% in Utah, which favors Utah. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and Utah's 37th, 11 places apart in Utah'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 Utah went to Trump by 13 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Utah has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Nevada regulates guns more tightly and Utah is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Nevada and banned with narrow exceptions in Utah, and marijuana is legal for adults in Nevada and medical only in Utah as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Nevada and $7.25 in Utah.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and moderate in Utah (drought, wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 55 in Utah (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
6
Nevada
9
Utah
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or Utah better to live in?
Utah wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $7,128); Utah on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Utah on schools (ranked 37th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or Utah?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 101. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $500K in Utah (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $3,100 a year.
Does Nevada or Utah 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 $7,128 in Utah ($3,319 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,609 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Nevada or Utah?
Utah, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 237 in Utah; property crime is 2,634 against 2,280.
Which has better schools, Nevada or Utah?
Utah. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and Utah 37th.
Is Nevada or Utah 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; Utah taxes 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 $2,200 in Utah.