State comparison
North Dakota vs Alabama: which state is better to live in?
North Dakota costs a median household about $2,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Alabama, mostly because its income tax takes 0.7% of a median income against 4.9% in Alabama, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 98 against 87).
North Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 98
Wins 9 categories
Alabama
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: North Dakota vs Alabama
North Dakota has a graduated income tax topping out at 2.5%, which works out to 0.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $509 a year. Alabama has a graduated income tax topping out at 5%, which works out to 4.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,689 a year. North Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.88% of home value a year in North Dakota and 0.39% in Alabama (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,244 against $850, so Alabama has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.97% in North Dakota and 9.22% in Alabama; North Dakota is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $4,313 a year in North Dakota, $6,602 in Alabama. North Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
North Dakota's cost of living index is 98 and Alabama's is 87, where 100 is the national average; Alabama is about 13% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $255K in North Dakota and $218K in Alabama (Zillow, 2024), a $37K gap in Alabama's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in North Dakota and $1,050 in Alabama.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in North Dakota and $2,400 in Alabama, so North Dakota is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 285 incidents per 100,000 residents in North Dakota and 547 in Alabama (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); North Dakota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 92% lower. Property crime is 1,779 per 100,000 in North Dakota against 2,247 in Alabama, again favoring North Dakota.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in North Dakota and 73.2 in Alabama (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 5.6-year edge for North Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks North Dakota's health system 27th of 50 and Alabama's 41st, so North Dakota scores better on care.
7.5% of North Dakota residents have no health insurance against 11.2% in Alabama, which favors North Dakota. North Dakota expanded Medicaid and Alabama did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Dakota's K-12 schools 17th in the country and Alabama's 44th, 27 places apart in North Dakota's favor. Alabama runs a school-choice voucher program; North Dakota does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election North Dakota went to Trump by 33 points and Alabama went to Trump by 28 points.
North Dakota has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Alabama has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in North Dakota and $7.25 in Alabama.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in North Dakota (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Alabama (tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 25 in North Dakota and 38 in Alabama (under 50 is good), favoring North Dakota.
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
9
North Dakota
5
Alabama
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is North Dakota or Alabama better to live in?
North Dakota wins more of the measures that decide a move. North Dakota on taxes ($4,313 a year for a median household against $6,602); Alabama on everyday costs (index 87 against 98); North Dakota on safety (285 violent crimes per 100,000 against 547); North Dakota on schools (ranked 17th against 44th).
Which is cheaper, North Dakota or Alabama?
Alabama is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 87 against 98. The median home is $255K in North Dakota and $218K in Alabama (2024). On state and local taxes North Dakota saves a median household about $2,300 a year.
Does North Dakota or Alabama have lower taxes?
North Dakota. A household earning $74,580 pays about $4,313 a year in North Dakota ($509 income tax, $2,244 property tax on the median home and $1,559 in sales tax) and $6,602 in Alabama ($3,689 income tax, $850 property tax on the median home and $2,063 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, North Dakota or Alabama?
North Dakota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 285 per 100,000 residents in North Dakota and 547 in Alabama; property crime is 1,779 against 2,247.
Which has better schools, North Dakota or Alabama?
North Dakota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Dakota 17th of 50 for K-12 and Alabama 44th. Alabama also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is North Dakota or Alabama better for retirees?
Alabama is friendlier to retirees on paper. North Dakota does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Alabama does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,244 a year in North Dakota and $850 in Alabama.