State comparison
Ohio vs Washington: which state is better to live in?
Ohio costs a median household about $720 a year less in state and local taxes than Washington, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,220 a year against $4,788 in Washington.
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 7 categories
Washington
Moderate tax burden · COL index 117
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Ohio vs Washington
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. Washington has no state income tax. Washington wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.37% of home value a year in Ohio and 0.84% in Washington (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,220 against $4,788, so Washington has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.22% in Ohio and 9.38% in Washington; 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, $6,887 in Washington. Ohio is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Ohio's cost of living index is 88 and Washington's is 117, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 33% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $235K in Ohio and $570K in Washington (Zillow, 2024), a $335K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Ohio and $2,000 in Washington.
Home insurance averages $1,200 a year in Ohio and $900 in Washington, so Washington is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 303 incidents per 100,000 residents in Ohio and 347 in Washington (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Ohio is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 15% lower. Property crime is 2,081 per 100,000 in Ohio against 3,187 in Washington, again favoring Ohio.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.4 years in Ohio and 79.3 in Washington (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.9-year edge for Washington. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Ohio's health system 22nd of 50 and Washington's 10th, so Washington scores better on care.
6.9% of Ohio residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Washington, which favors Washington. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Ohio's K-12 schools 28th in the country and Washington's 7th, 21 places apart in Washington's favor. Ohio runs a school-choice voucher program; Washington does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Ohio went to Trump by 12 points and Washington went to Harris by 16 points.
Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Washington has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Washington regulates guns more tightly and Ohio is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.45 an hour in Ohio and $16.28 in Washington.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard) and high in Washington (wildfire, earthquake, flood), so Ohio is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 45 in Ohio and 40 in Washington (under 50 is good), favoring Washington.
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
9
Washington
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Ohio or Washington 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 $6,887); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 117); Ohio on safety (303 violent crimes per 100,000 against 347); Washington on schools (ranked 7th against 28th).
Which is cheaper, Ohio or Washington?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 117. The median home is $235K in Ohio and $570K in Washington (2024). On state and local taxes Ohio saves a median household about $720 a year.
Does Ohio or Washington 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 $6,887 in Washington ($0 income tax, $4,788 property tax on the median home and $2,099 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Ohio or Washington?
Ohio, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 303 per 100,000 residents in Ohio and 347 in Washington; property crime is 2,081 against 3,187.
Which has better schools, Ohio or Washington?
Washington. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Ohio 28th of 50 for K-12 and Washington 7th. Ohio also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Ohio or Washington 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; Washington does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,220 a year in Ohio and $4,788 in Washington.