State comparison
North Carolina vs Wisconsin: which state is better to live in?
North Carolina costs a median household about $2,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Wisconsin, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,345 a year against $4,304 in Wisconsin.
North Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 94
Wins 3 categories
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: North Carolina vs Wisconsin
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. Wisconsin has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.65%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,349 a year. North Carolina wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.70% of home value a year in North Carolina and 1.51% in Wisconsin (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,345 against $4,304, so North Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in North Carolina and 5.43% in Wisconsin; Wisconsin 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, $8,868 in Wisconsin. 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 Wisconsin's is 93, where 100 is the national average; Wisconsin is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $335K in North Carolina and $285K in Wisconsin (Zillow, 2024), a $50K gap in Wisconsin's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month in North Carolina and $1,200 in Wisconsin.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in North Carolina and $1,100 in Wisconsin, so Wisconsin is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 398 incidents per 100,000 residents in North Carolina and 295 in Wisconsin (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wisconsin is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 35% lower. Property crime is 2,226 per 100,000 in North Carolina against 1,787 in Wisconsin, again favoring Wisconsin.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.7 years in North Carolina and 78.1 in Wisconsin (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.4-year edge for Wisconsin. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks North Carolina's health system 23rd of 50 and Wisconsin's 8th, so Wisconsin scores better on care.
11.8% of North Carolina residents have no health insurance against 5.7% in Wisconsin, which favors Wisconsin. North Carolina expanded Medicaid and Wisconsin did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Carolina's K-12 schools 29th in the country and Wisconsin's 11th, 18 places apart in Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points.
North Carolina has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F, so North Carolina regulates guns more tightly and Wisconsin is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is legal with limits in both states, and marijuana is illegal in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in North Carolina and $7.25 in Wisconsin.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in North Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood), so Wisconsin is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 36 in North Carolina and 34 in Wisconsin (under 50 is good), favoring Wisconsin.
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
North Carolina
10
Wisconsin
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is North Carolina or Wisconsin better to live in?
Wisconsin wins more of the measures that decide a move. North Carolina on taxes ($6,887 a year for a median household against $8,868); Wisconsin on everyday costs (index 93 against 94); Wisconsin on safety (295 violent crimes per 100,000 against 398); Wisconsin on schools (ranked 11th against 29th).
Which is cheaper, North Carolina or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 94. The median home is $335K in North Carolina and $285K in Wisconsin (2024). On state and local taxes North Carolina saves a median household about $2,000 a year.
Does North Carolina or Wisconsin 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 $8,868 in Wisconsin ($3,349 income tax, $4,304 property tax on the median home and $1,215 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, North Carolina or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 398 per 100,000 residents in North Carolina and 295 in Wisconsin; property crime is 2,226 against 1,787.
Which has better schools, North Carolina or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Carolina 29th of 50 for K-12 and Wisconsin 11th.
Is North Carolina or Wisconsin better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. North Carolina does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Wisconsin does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,345 a year in North Carolina and $4,304 in Wisconsin.