State comparison
Ohio vs Idaho: which state is better to live in?
Ohio costs a median household about $920 a year less in state and local taxes than Idaho, mostly because its income tax takes 1.8% of a median income against 5.0% in Idaho.
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 7 categories
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Ohio vs Idaho
Ohio has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.5%, which works out to 1.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,335 a year. Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 a year. Ohio wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.37% of home value a year in Ohio and 0.48% in Idaho (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,220 against $2,040, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.22% in Ohio and 6.02% in Idaho; Idaho is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,169 a year in Ohio, $7,085 in Idaho. Ohio is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Ohio's cost of living index is 88 and Idaho's is 96, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 9% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $235K in Ohio and $425K in Idaho (Zillow, 2024), a $190K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Ohio and $1,500 in Idaho.
Home insurance averages $1,200 a year in Ohio and $800 in Idaho, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 303 incidents per 100,000 residents in Ohio and 228 in Idaho (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 33% lower. Property crime is 2,081 per 100,000 in Ohio against 1,535 in Idaho, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.4 years in Ohio and 77.7 in Idaho (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.3-year edge for Idaho. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Ohio's health system 22nd of 50 and Idaho's 32nd, so Ohio scores better on care.
6.9% of Ohio residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in Idaho, which favors Ohio. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Ohio's K-12 schools 28th in the country and Idaho's 30th, 2 places apart in Ohio's favor. Ohio runs a school-choice voucher program; Idaho does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Ohio went to Trump by 12 points and Idaho went to Trump by 30 points.
Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Idaho has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is protected by state law in Ohio and banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho, and marijuana is legal for adults in Ohio and illegal in Idaho as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.45 an hour in Ohio and $7.25 in Idaho.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Ohio and 48 in Idaho (under 50 is good), favoring Ohio.
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
7
Ohio
7
Idaho
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Ohio or Idaho better to live in?
Ohio wins more of the measures that decide a move. Ohio on taxes ($6,169 a year for a median household against $7,085); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 96); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 303); Ohio on schools (ranked 28th against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Ohio or Idaho?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 96. The median home is $235K in Ohio and $425K in Idaho (2024). On state and local taxes Ohio saves a median household about $920 a year.
Does Ohio or Idaho have lower taxes?
Ohio. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,169 a year in Ohio ($1,335 income tax, $3,220 property tax on the median home and $1,615 in sales tax) and $7,085 in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Ohio or Idaho?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 303 per 100,000 residents in Ohio and 228 in Idaho; property crime is 2,081 against 1,535.
Which has better schools, Ohio or Idaho?
Ohio. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Ohio 28th of 50 for K-12 and Idaho 30th. Ohio also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Ohio or Idaho better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Ohio does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,220 a year in Ohio and $2,040 in Idaho.