State comparison
Nevada vs Wisconsin: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $4,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Wisconsin, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 93).
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 6 categories
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs Wisconsin
Nevada has no state income tax. Wisconsin has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.65%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,349 a year. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 1.51% in Wisconsin (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $4,304, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada and 5.43% in Wisconsin; Wisconsin 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, $8,868 in Wisconsin. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and Wisconsin's is 93, where 100 is the national average; Wisconsin is about 9% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $285K in Wisconsin (Zillow, 2024), a $130K gap in Wisconsin's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,200 in Wisconsin.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $1,100 in Wisconsin, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 295 in Wisconsin (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wisconsin is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 102% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 1,787 in Wisconsin, again favoring Wisconsin.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 78.1 in Wisconsin (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.6-year edge for Wisconsin. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and Wisconsin's 8th, so Wisconsin scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada residents have no health insurance against 5.7% in Wisconsin, which favors Wisconsin. Nevada expanded Medicaid and Wisconsin did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and Wisconsin's 11th, 37 places apart in Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F, so Nevada regulates guns more tightly and Wisconsin is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Nevada and legal with limits in Wisconsin, and marijuana is legal for adults in Nevada and illegal in Wisconsin as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Nevada and $7.25 in Wisconsin.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 34 in Wisconsin (under 50 is good), favoring Wisconsin.
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
Wisconsin
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or Wisconsin better to live in?
Wisconsin wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $8,868); Wisconsin on everyday costs (index 93 against 101); Wisconsin on safety (295 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Wisconsin on schools (ranked 11th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 101. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $285K in Wisconsin (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $4,800 a year.
Does Nevada or Wisconsin 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 $8,868 in Wisconsin ($3,349 income tax, $4,304 property tax on the median home and $1,215 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Nevada or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 295 in Wisconsin; property crime is 2,634 against 1,787.
Which has better schools, Nevada or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and Wisconsin 11th.
Is Nevada or Wisconsin 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; Wisconsin 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 $4,304 in Wisconsin.