State comparison
North Carolina vs Texas: which state is better to live in?
North Carolina costs a median household about $390 a year less in state and local taxes than Texas, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,345 a year against $5,440 in Texas.
North Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 94
Wins 11 categories
Texas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 3 categories
Taxes: North Carolina vs Texas
North Carolina has a flat 4.5% income tax, which works out to 4.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,976 a year. Texas has no state income tax. Texas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.70% of home value a year in North Carolina and 1.60% in Texas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,345 against $5,440, so North Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in North Carolina and 8.19% in Texas; North Carolina is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,887 a year in North Carolina, $7,272 in Texas. North Carolina is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
North Carolina's cost of living index is 94 and Texas's is 97, where 100 is the national average; North Carolina is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $335K in North Carolina and $340K in Texas (Zillow, 2024), a $5K gap in North Carolina's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month in North Carolina and $1,600 in Texas.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in North Carolina and $3,200 in Texas, so North Carolina is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 398 incidents per 100,000 residents in North Carolina and 447 in Texas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); North Carolina is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 12% lower. Property crime is 2,226 per 100,000 in North Carolina against 2,478 in Texas, again favoring North Carolina.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.7 years in North Carolina and 76.3 in Texas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.6-year edge for Texas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks North Carolina's health system 23rd of 50 and Texas's 36th, so North Carolina scores better on care.
11.8% of North Carolina residents have no health insurance against 18.4% in Texas, which favors North Carolina. North Carolina expanded Medicaid and Texas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Carolina's K-12 schools 29th in the country and Texas's 36th, 7 places apart in North Carolina's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election North Carolina went to Trump by 3 points and Texas went to Trump by 14 points.
North Carolina has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Texas has permitless carry and a grade of F, so North Carolina regulates guns more tightly and Texas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is legal with limits in North Carolina and banned with narrow exceptions in Texas, and marijuana is illegal in North Carolina and medical only in Texas as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in North Carolina and $7.25 in Texas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in North Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood) and very high in Texas (hurricane, tornado, flood), so North Carolina is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in North Carolina and 43 in Texas (under 50 is good), favoring North Carolina.
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
11
North Carolina
3
Texas
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 North Carolina or Texas better to live in?
North Carolina wins more of the measures that decide a move. North Carolina on taxes ($6,887 a year for a median household against $7,272); North Carolina on everyday costs (index 94 against 97); North Carolina on safety (398 violent crimes per 100,000 against 447); North Carolina on schools (ranked 29th against 36th).
Which is cheaper, North Carolina or Texas?
North Carolina is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 94 against 97. The median home is $335K in North Carolina and $340K in Texas (2024). On state and local taxes North Carolina saves a median household about $390 a year.
Does North Carolina or Texas have lower taxes?
North Carolina. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,887 a year in North Carolina ($2,976 income tax, $2,345 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax) and $7,272 in Texas ($0 income tax, $5,440 property tax on the median home and $1,832 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, North Carolina or Texas?
North Carolina, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 398 per 100,000 residents in North Carolina and 447 in Texas; property crime is 2,226 against 2,478.
Which has better schools, North Carolina or Texas?
North Carolina. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Carolina 29th of 50 for K-12 and Texas 36th.
Is North Carolina or Texas better for retirees?
Texas is friendlier to retirees on paper. North Carolina does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Texas does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,345 a year in North Carolina and $5,440 in Texas.