State comparison
Ohio vs Tennessee: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $2,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Ohio, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,575 a year against $3,220 in Ohio, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 92 against 88).
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 10 categories
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Ohio vs Tennessee
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. Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.37% of home value a year in Ohio and 0.45% in Tennessee (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,220 against $1,575, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.22% in Ohio and 9.55% in Tennessee; Ohio 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, $3,712 in Tennessee. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Ohio's cost of living index is 88 and Tennessee's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $235K in Ohio and $350K in Tennessee (Zillow, 2024), a $115K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Ohio and $1,400 in Tennessee.
Home insurance averages $1,200 a year in Ohio and $2,000 in Tennessee, so Ohio is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 303 incidents per 100,000 residents in Ohio and 668 in Tennessee (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Ohio is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 120% lower. Property crime is 2,081 per 100,000 in Ohio against 2,752 in Tennessee, again favoring Ohio.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.4 years in Ohio and 74.2 in Tennessee (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.2-year edge for Ohio. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Ohio's health system 22nd of 50 and Tennessee's 39th, so Ohio scores better on care.
6.9% of Ohio residents have no health insurance against 10.4% in Tennessee, which favors Ohio. Ohio expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Ohio's K-12 schools 28th in the country and Tennessee's 41st, 13 places apart in Ohio's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Ohio went to Trump by 12 points and Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points.
Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Tennessee has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is protected by state law in Ohio and banned with narrow exceptions in Tennessee, and marijuana is legal for adults in Ohio and illegal in Tennessee as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.45 an hour in Ohio and $7.25 in Tennessee.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Ohio and 36 in Tennessee (under 50 is good), favoring Tennessee.
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
10
Ohio
5
Tennessee
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Ohio or Tennessee better to live in?
Ohio wins more of the measures that decide a move. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $6,169); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 92); Ohio on safety (303 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Ohio on schools (ranked 28th against 41st).
Which is cheaper, Ohio or Tennessee?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 92. The median home is $235K in Ohio and $350K in Tennessee (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $2,500 a year.
Does Ohio or Tennessee have lower taxes?
Tennessee. 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 $3,712 in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Ohio or Tennessee?
Ohio, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 303 per 100,000 residents in Ohio and 668 in Tennessee; property crime is 2,081 against 2,752.
Which has better schools, Ohio or Tennessee?
Ohio. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Ohio 28th of 50 for K-12 and Tennessee 41st.
Is Ohio or Tennessee better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Ohio does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Tennessee does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,220 a year in Ohio and $1,575 in Tennessee.