State comparison
North Dakota vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $270 a year less in state and local taxes than North Dakota, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 98).
North Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 98
Wins 11 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: North Dakota vs Nevada
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. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.88% of home value a year in North Dakota and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,244 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.97% in North Dakota and 8.23% in Nevada; 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, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
North Dakota's cost of living index is 98 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; North Dakota is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $255K in North Dakota and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $160K gap in North Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in North Dakota and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in North Dakota and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 285 incidents per 100,000 residents in North Dakota and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); North Dakota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 109% lower. Property crime is 1,779 per 100,000 in North Dakota against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring North Dakota.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in North Dakota and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.3-year edge for North Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks North Dakota's health system 27th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so North Dakota scores better on care.
7.5% of North Dakota residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors North Dakota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Dakota's K-12 schools 17th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 31 places apart in North Dakota's favor. Nevada 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 Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
North Dakota has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Nevada regulates guns more tightly and North Dakota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in North Dakota and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is medical only in North Dakota and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in North Dakota and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in North Dakota (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 25 in North Dakota and 40 in Nevada (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
11
North Dakota
4
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is North Dakota or Nevada better to live in?
North Dakota wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $4,313); North Dakota on everyday costs (index 98 against 101); North Dakota on safety (285 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); North Dakota on schools (ranked 17th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, North Dakota or Nevada?
North Dakota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 98 against 101. The median home is $255K in North Dakota and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $270 a year.
Does North Dakota or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. 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 $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, North Dakota or Nevada?
North Dakota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 285 per 100,000 residents in North Dakota and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,779 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, North Dakota or Nevada?
North Dakota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Dakota 17th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is North Dakota or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. North Dakota does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Nevada 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 $2,200 in Nevada.