State comparison
Oklahoma vs Tennessee: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $3,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Oklahoma, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 92 against 87).
Oklahoma
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 7 categories
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Oklahoma vs Tennessee
Oklahoma has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.75%, which works out to 4.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,141 a year. Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.85% of home value a year in Oklahoma and 0.45% in Tennessee (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,828 against $1,575, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.97% in Oklahoma and 9.55% in Tennessee; Oklahoma is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,976 a year in Oklahoma, $3,712 in Tennessee. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Oklahoma's cost of living index is 87 and Tennessee's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Oklahoma is about 6% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $215K in Oklahoma and $350K in Tennessee (Zillow, 2024), a $135K gap in Oklahoma's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,000 a month in Oklahoma and $1,400 in Tennessee.
Home insurance averages $5,200 a year in Oklahoma and $2,000 in Tennessee, so Tennessee is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 449 incidents per 100,000 residents in Oklahoma and 668 in Tennessee (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Oklahoma is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 49% lower. Property crime is 2,840 per 100,000 in Oklahoma against 2,752 in Tennessee, again favoring Tennessee.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.6 years in Oklahoma and 74.2 in Tennessee (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.6-year edge for Tennessee. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Oklahoma's health system 50th of 50 and Tennessee's 39th, so Tennessee scores better on care.
14.3% of Oklahoma residents have no health insurance against 10.4% in Tennessee, which favors Tennessee. Oklahoma expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oklahoma's K-12 schools 43rd in the country and Tennessee's 41st, 2 places apart in Tennessee's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Oklahoma went to Trump by 33 points and Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points.
Oklahoma has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Tennessee has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in Oklahoma and illegal in Tennessee as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Oklahoma and $7.25 in Tennessee.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Oklahoma (tornado, drought, ice-storm) and moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm), so Tennessee is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Oklahoma 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
7
Oklahoma
8
Tennessee
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Oklahoma or Tennessee better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $6,976); Oklahoma on everyday costs (index 87 against 92); Oklahoma on safety (449 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Tennessee on schools (ranked 41st against 43rd).
Which is cheaper, Oklahoma or Tennessee?
Oklahoma is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 87 against 92. The median home is $215K in Oklahoma and $350K in Tennessee (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $3,300 a year.
Does Oklahoma or Tennessee have lower taxes?
Tennessee. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,976 a year in Oklahoma ($3,141 income tax, $1,828 property tax on the median home and $2,007 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, Oklahoma or Tennessee?
Oklahoma, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 449 per 100,000 residents in Oklahoma and 668 in Tennessee; property crime is 2,840 against 2,752.
Which has better schools, Oklahoma or Tennessee?
Tennessee. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oklahoma 43rd of 50 for K-12 and Tennessee 41st.
Is Oklahoma or Tennessee better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Oklahoma 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 $1,828 a year in Oklahoma and $1,575 in Tennessee.