State comparison
North Dakota vs Utah: which state is better to live in?
North Dakota costs a median household about $2,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Utah, mostly because its income tax takes 1.5% of a median income against 4.7% in Utah.
North Dakota
Moderate tax burden · COL index 98
Wins 10 categories
Utah
Moderate tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: North Dakota vs Utah
North Dakota has a graduated income tax topping out at 2.5%, which works out to 1.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,101 a year. Utah has a flat 4.65% income tax, which works out to 4.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,468 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 0.44% in Utah (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,244 against $2,200, so Utah has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.97% in North Dakota and 7.19% in Utah; North Dakota is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $4,904 a year in North Dakota, $7,277 in Utah. 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 Utah'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 $500K in Utah (Zillow, 2024), a $245K gap in North Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in North Dakota and $1,650 in Utah.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in North Dakota and $900 in Utah, so Utah is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 285 incidents per 100,000 residents in North Dakota and 237 in Utah (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Utah is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 20% lower. Property crime is 1,779 per 100,000 in North Dakota against 2,280 in Utah, again favoring North Dakota.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in North Dakota and 79.2 in Utah (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.4-year edge for Utah. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks North Dakota's health system 27th of 50 and Utah's 31st, so North Dakota scores better on care.
7.5% of North Dakota residents have no health insurance against 9.8% in Utah, 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 Utah's 37th, 20 places apart in North Dakota's favor. Utah 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 Utah went to Trump by 13 points.
North Dakota has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Utah 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 Utah.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in North Dakota (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Utah (drought, wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 25 in North Dakota and 55 in Utah (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 rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
10
North Dakota
5
Utah
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is North Dakota or Utah better to live in?
North Dakota wins more of the measures that decide a move. North Dakota on taxes ($4,904 a year for a median household against $7,277); North Dakota on everyday costs (index 98 against 101); Utah on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 285); North Dakota on schools (ranked 17th against 37th).
Which is cheaper, North Dakota or Utah?
North Dakota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 98 against 101. The median home is $255K in North Dakota and $500K in Utah (2024). On state and local taxes North Dakota saves a median household about $2,400 a year.
Does North Dakota or Utah have lower taxes?
North Dakota. A household earning $74,580 pays about $4,904 a year in North Dakota ($1,101 income tax, $2,244 property tax on the median home and $1,559 in sales tax) and $7,277 in Utah ($3,468 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,609 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, North Dakota or Utah?
Utah, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 285 per 100,000 residents in North Dakota and 237 in Utah; property crime is 1,779 against 2,280.
Which has better schools, North Dakota or Utah?
North Dakota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Dakota 17th of 50 for K-12 and Utah 37th. Utah also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is North Dakota or Utah better for retirees?
North Dakota is friendlier to retirees on paper. North Dakota does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Utah taxes Social Security, partly 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 Utah.