State comparison
New York vs Idaho: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $5,300 a year less in state and local taxes than New York, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,040 a year against $6,580 in New York.
New York
High tax burden · COL index 139
Wins 4 categories
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: New York vs Idaho
New York has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.9%, which works out to 5.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,862 a year. Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 a year. Idaho wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.40% of home value a year in New York and 0.48% in Idaho (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,580 against $2,040, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.52% in New York and 6.02% in Idaho; Idaho is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $12,349 a year in New York, $7,085 in Idaho. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New York's cost of living index is 139 and Idaho's is 96, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 45% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $470K in New York and $425K in Idaho (Zillow, 2024), a $45K gap in Idaho's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New York and $1,500 in Idaho.
Home insurance averages $1,800 a year in New York and $800 in Idaho, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 379 incidents per 100,000 residents in New York and 228 in Idaho (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 66% lower. Property crime is 1,480 per 100,000 in New York against 1,535 in Idaho, again favoring New York.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.3 years in New York and 77.7 in Idaho (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.6-year edge for New York. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New York's health system 15th of 50 and Idaho's 32nd, so New York scores better on care.
5.4% of New York residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in Idaho, which favors New York. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York's K-12 schools 12th in the country and Idaho's 30th, 18 places apart in New York's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New York went to Harris by 12 points and Idaho went to Trump by 30 points.
New York has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Idaho has permitless carry and a grade of F, so New York regulates guns more tightly and Idaho is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in New York and banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho, and marijuana is legal for adults in New York and illegal in Idaho as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in New York and $7.25 in Idaho.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New York (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 38 in New York and 48 in Idaho (under 50 is good), favoring New York.
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
4
New York
11
Idaho
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New York or Idaho better to live in?
Idaho wins more of the measures that decide a move. Idaho on taxes ($7,085 a year for a median household against $12,349); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 139); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 379); New York on schools (ranked 12th against 30th).
Which is cheaper, New York or Idaho?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 139. The median home is $470K in New York and $425K in Idaho (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $5,300 a year.
Does New York or Idaho have lower taxes?
Idaho. A household earning $74,580 pays about $12,349 a year in New York ($3,862 income tax, $6,580 property tax on the median home and $1,906 in sales tax) and $7,085 in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, New York or Idaho?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 379 per 100,000 residents in New York and 228 in Idaho; property crime is 1,480 against 1,535.
Which has better schools, New York or Idaho?
New York. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York 12th of 50 for K-12 and Idaho 30th.
Is New York or Idaho better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. New York does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $6,580 a year in New York and $2,040 in Idaho.