State comparison
New Jersey vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $10,500 a year less in state and local taxes than New Jersey, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,200 a year against $10,650 in New Jersey.
New Jersey
High tax burden · COL index 121
Wins 6 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: New Jersey vs Nevada
New Jersey has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.75%, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,628 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 2.13% of home value a year in New Jersey and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $10,650 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.60% in New Jersey and 8.23% in Nevada; New Jersey is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $14,755 a year in New Jersey, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New Jersey's cost of living index is 121 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 20% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $500K in New Jersey and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $85K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New Jersey and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in New Jersey and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 213 incidents per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Jersey is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 179% lower. Property crime is 1,368 per 100,000 in New Jersey against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring New Jersey.
Health
Life expectancy is 79 years in New Jersey and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.5-year edge for New Jersey. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New Jersey's health system 19th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so New Jersey scores better on care.
6.8% of New Jersey residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors New Jersey. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Jersey's K-12 schools 2nd in the country and Nevada's 48th, 46 places apart in New Jersey's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; New Jersey does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New Jersey went to Harris by 6 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
New Jersey has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so New Jersey 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 $15.13 an hour in New Jersey and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New Jersey (hurricane, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 35 in New Jersey and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring New Jersey.
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
New Jersey
9
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New Jersey or Nevada better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $14,755); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 121); New Jersey on safety (213 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); New Jersey on schools (ranked 2nd against 48th).
Which is cheaper, New Jersey or Nevada?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 121. The median home is $500K in New Jersey and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $10,500 a year.
Does New Jersey or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $14,755 a year in New Jersey ($2,628 income tax, $10,650 property tax on the median home and $1,477 in sales tax) and $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, New Jersey or Nevada?
New Jersey, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 213 per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,368 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, New Jersey or Nevada?
New Jersey. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Jersey 2nd of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is New Jersey or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. New Jersey does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $10,650 a year in New Jersey and $2,200 in Nevada.