State comparison
New York vs Wyoming: which state is better to live in?
Wyoming costs a median household about $9,200 a year less in state and local taxes than New York, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,925 a year against $6,580 in New York.
New York
High tax burden · COL index 139
Wins 4 categories
Wyoming
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 12 categories
Taxes: New York vs Wyoming
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. Wyoming has no state income tax. Wyoming wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.40% of home value a year in New York and 0.55% in Wyoming (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,580 against $1,925, so Wyoming has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.52% in New York 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: $12,349 a year in New York, $3,120 in Wyoming. Wyoming is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New York's cost of living index is 139 and Wyoming's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Wyoming is about 38% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $470K in New York and $350K in Wyoming (Zillow, 2024), a $120K gap in Wyoming's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New York and $1,300 in Wyoming.
Home insurance averages $1,800 a year in New York and $1,500 in Wyoming, so Wyoming is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 379 incidents per 100,000 residents in New York and 221 in Wyoming (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wyoming is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 71% lower. Property crime is 1,480 per 100,000 in New York against 1,812 in Wyoming, again favoring New York.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.3 years in New York and 76 in Wyoming (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.3-year edge for New York. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New York's health system 15th of 50 and Wyoming's 33rd, so New York scores better on care.
5.4% of New York residents have no health insurance against 12.3% in Wyoming, which favors New York. New York expanded Medicaid and Wyoming did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York's K-12 schools 12th in the country and Wyoming's 39th, 27 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 Wyoming went to Trump by 43 points.
New York has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Wyoming has permitless carry and a grade of F, so New York regulates guns more tightly and Wyoming is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in New York and banned with narrow exceptions in Wyoming, and marijuana is legal for adults in New York and illegal in Wyoming as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in New York and $7.25 in Wyoming.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New York (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and moderate in Wyoming (blizzard, drought, wildfire). Annual average air quality index is 38 in New York 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
4
New York
12
Wyoming
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New York 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 $12,349); Wyoming on everyday costs (index 101 against 139); Wyoming on safety (221 violent crimes per 100,000 against 379); New York on schools (ranked 12th against 39th).
Which is cheaper, New York or Wyoming?
Wyoming is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 139. The median home is $470K in New York and $350K in Wyoming (2024). On state and local taxes Wyoming saves a median household about $9,200 a year.
Does New York or Wyoming have lower taxes?
Wyoming. 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 $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, New York or Wyoming?
Wyoming, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 379 per 100,000 residents in New York and 221 in Wyoming; property crime is 1,480 against 1,812.
Which has better schools, New York or Wyoming?
New York. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York 12th of 50 for K-12 and Wyoming 39th.
Is New York or Wyoming better for retirees?
Wyoming is friendlier to retirees on paper. New York does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Wyoming does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $6,580 a year in New York and $1,925 in Wyoming.