State comparison
Oklahoma vs Vermont: which state is better to live in?
Oklahoma costs a median household about $4,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Vermont, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,828 a year against $6,574 in Vermont.
Oklahoma
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 9 categories
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Oklahoma vs Vermont
Oklahoma has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.75%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,354 a year. Vermont has a graduated income tax topping out at 8.75%, which works out to 4.6% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,447 a year. Oklahoma wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.85% of home value a year in Oklahoma and 1.73% in Vermont (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,828 against $6,574, so Oklahoma has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.97% in Oklahoma and 6.22% in Vermont; Vermont is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,188 a year in Oklahoma, $11,412 in Vermont. Oklahoma is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Oklahoma's cost of living index is 87 and Vermont's is 111, where 100 is the national average; Oklahoma is about 28% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $215K in Oklahoma and $380K in Vermont (Zillow, 2024), a $165K gap in Oklahoma's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,000 a month in Oklahoma and $1,600 in Vermont.
Home insurance averages $5,200 a year in Oklahoma and $900 in Vermont, so Vermont is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 449 incidents per 100,000 residents in Oklahoma and 167 in Vermont (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Vermont is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 169% lower. Property crime is 2,840 per 100,000 in Oklahoma against 1,390 in Vermont, again favoring Vermont.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.6 years in Oklahoma and 79.8 in Vermont (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 6.2-year edge for Vermont. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Oklahoma's health system 50th of 50 and Vermont's 5th, so Vermont scores better on care.
14.3% of Oklahoma residents have no health insurance against 3.8% in Vermont, which favors Vermont. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oklahoma's K-12 schools 43rd in the country and Vermont's 6th, 37 places apart in Vermont'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 Vermont went to Harris by 31 points.
Oklahoma has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Vermont has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so Vermont regulates guns more tightly and Oklahoma is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Oklahoma and protected by state law in Vermont, and marijuana is medical only in Oklahoma and legal for adults in Vermont as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Oklahoma and $13.67 in Vermont.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Oklahoma (tornado, drought, ice-storm) and low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter), so Vermont is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Oklahoma and 27 in Vermont (under 50 is good), favoring Vermont.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
9
Oklahoma
7
Vermont
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Oklahoma or Vermont better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Oklahoma on taxes ($7,188 a year for a median household against $11,412); Oklahoma on everyday costs (index 87 against 111); Vermont on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 449); Vermont on schools (ranked 6th against 43rd).
Which is cheaper, Oklahoma or Vermont?
Oklahoma is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 87 against 111. The median home is $215K in Oklahoma and $380K in Vermont (2024). On state and local taxes Oklahoma saves a median household about $4,200 a year.
Does Oklahoma or Vermont have lower taxes?
Oklahoma. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,188 a year in Oklahoma ($3,354 income tax, $1,828 property tax on the median home and $2,007 in sales tax) and $11,412 in Vermont ($3,447 income tax, $6,574 property tax on the median home and $1,392 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Oklahoma or Vermont?
Vermont, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 449 per 100,000 residents in Oklahoma and 167 in Vermont; property crime is 2,840 against 1,390.
Which has better schools, Oklahoma or Vermont?
Vermont. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oklahoma 43rd of 50 for K-12 and Vermont 6th.
Is Oklahoma or Vermont better for retirees?
Oklahoma is friendlier to retirees on paper. Oklahoma does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Vermont taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,828 a year in Oklahoma and $6,574 in Vermont.