State comparison
Oklahoma vs Texas: which state is better to live in?
Oklahoma costs a median household about $300 a year less in state and local taxes than Texas, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,828 a year against $5,440 in Texas.
Oklahoma
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 7 categories
Texas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Oklahoma vs Texas
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. Texas has no state income tax. Texas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.85% of home value a year in Oklahoma and 1.60% in Texas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,828 against $5,440, so Oklahoma has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.97% in Oklahoma and 8.19% in Texas; Texas 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, $7,272 in Texas. Oklahoma is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Oklahoma's cost of living index is 87 and Texas's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Oklahoma is about 11% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $215K in Oklahoma and $340K in Texas (Zillow, 2024), a $125K gap in Oklahoma's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,000 a month in Oklahoma and $1,600 in Texas.
Home insurance averages $5,200 a year in Oklahoma and $3,200 in Texas, so Texas is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 449 incidents per 100,000 residents in Oklahoma and 447 in Texas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Texas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 0% lower. Property crime is 2,840 per 100,000 in Oklahoma against 2,478 in Texas, again favoring Texas.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.6 years in Oklahoma and 76.3 in Texas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.7-year edge for Texas. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Oklahoma's health system 50th of 50 and Texas's 36th, so Texas scores better on care.
14.3% of Oklahoma residents have no health insurance against 18.4% in Texas, which favors Oklahoma. Oklahoma expanded Medicaid and Texas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oklahoma's K-12 schools 43rd in the country and Texas's 36th, 7 places apart in Texas'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 Texas went to Trump by 14 points.
Oklahoma has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Texas 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 Oklahoma and $7.25 in Texas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Oklahoma (tornado, drought, ice-storm) and very high in Texas (hurricane, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 38 in Oklahoma and 43 in Texas (under 50 is good), favoring Oklahoma.
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
Texas
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 Oklahoma or Texas better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Oklahoma on taxes ($6,976 a year for a median household against $7,272); Oklahoma on everyday costs (index 87 against 97); Texas on safety (447 violent crimes per 100,000 against 449); Texas on schools (ranked 36th against 43rd).
Which is cheaper, Oklahoma or Texas?
Oklahoma is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 87 against 97. The median home is $215K in Oklahoma and $340K in Texas (2024). On state and local taxes Oklahoma saves a median household about $300 a year.
Does Oklahoma or Texas have lower taxes?
Oklahoma. 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 $7,272 in Texas ($0 income tax, $5,440 property tax on the median home and $1,832 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Oklahoma or Texas?
Texas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 449 per 100,000 residents in Oklahoma and 447 in Texas; property crime is 2,840 against 2,478.
Which has better schools, Oklahoma or Texas?
Texas. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oklahoma 43rd of 50 for K-12 and Texas 36th.
Is Oklahoma or Texas better for retirees?
Texas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Oklahoma does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Texas 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 $5,440 in Texas.