State comparison
Nevada vs Wyoming: which state is better to live in?
Wyoming costs a median household about $920 a year less in state and local taxes than Nevada, mostly because its combined sales tax is 5.34% against 8.23%.
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 3 categories
Wyoming
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs Wyoming
Neither Nevada nor Wyoming has a state income tax, so wages are untouched at the state level in both.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 0.55% in Wyoming (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $1,925, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada and 5.34% in Wyoming; Wyoming 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, $3,120 in Wyoming. Wyoming is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and Wyoming's is 101, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $350K in Wyoming (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Wyoming's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,300 in Wyoming.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $1,500 in Wyoming, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 221 in Wyoming (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wyoming is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 169% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 1,812 in Wyoming, again favoring Wyoming.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 76 in Wyoming (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.5-year edge for Wyoming. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and Wyoming's 33rd, so Wyoming scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada residents have no health insurance against 12.3% in Wyoming, which favors Nevada. Nevada expanded Medicaid and Wyoming did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and Wyoming's 39th, 9 places apart in Wyoming's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Wyoming does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nevada went to Trump by 3 points and Wyoming went to Trump by 43 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Wyoming has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Nevada regulates guns more tightly and Wyoming is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Nevada and banned with narrow exceptions in Wyoming, and marijuana is legal for adults in Nevada and illegal in Wyoming as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Nevada and $7.25 in Wyoming.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and moderate in Wyoming (blizzard, drought, wildfire). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada and 30 in Wyoming (under 50 is good), favoring Wyoming.
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
3
Nevada
9
Wyoming
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or Wyoming better to live in?
Wyoming wins more of the measures that decide a move. Wyoming on taxes ($3,120 a year for a median household against $4,041); Wyoming on safety (221 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Wyoming on schools (ranked 39th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or Wyoming?
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 $350K in Wyoming (2024). On state and local taxes Wyoming saves a median household about $920 a year.
Does Nevada or Wyoming have lower taxes?
Wyoming. 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 $3,120 in Wyoming ($0 income tax, $1,925 property tax on the median home and $1,195 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Nevada or Wyoming?
Wyoming, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 221 in Wyoming; property crime is 2,634 against 1,812.
Which has better schools, Nevada or Wyoming?
Wyoming. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and Wyoming 39th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Nevada or Wyoming better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Wyoming does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,200 a year in Nevada and $1,925 in Wyoming.