State comparison
Oregon vs Idaho: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $3,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Oregon, mostly because its income tax takes 5.0% of a median income against 8.3% in Oregon.
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 5 categories
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Oregon vs Idaho
Oregon has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.9%, which works out to 8.3% on a median income of $74,580, or $6,207 a year. Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 a year. Idaho wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.82% of home value a year in Oregon and 0.48% in Idaho (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,936 against $2,040, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Oregon has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 6.02% in Idaho.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,143 a year in Oregon, $7,085 in Idaho. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Oregon's cost of living index is 110 and Idaho's is 96, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 15% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $480K in Oregon and $425K in Idaho (Zillow, 2024), a $55K gap in Idaho's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month in Oregon and $1,500 in Idaho.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Oregon and $800 in Idaho.
Safety
Violent crime runs 302 incidents per 100,000 residents in Oregon and 228 in Idaho (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 32% lower. Property crime is 3,078 per 100,000 in Oregon against 1,535 in Idaho, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 78 years in Oregon and 77.7 in Idaho (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.3-year edge for Oregon. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Oregon's health system 14th of 50 and Idaho's 32nd, so Oregon scores better on care.
7.1% of Oregon residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in Idaho, which favors Oregon. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oregon's K-12 schools 21st in the country and Idaho's 30th, 9 places apart in Oregon's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Oregon went to Harris by 14 points and Idaho went to Trump by 30 points.
Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Idaho has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Oregon regulates guns more tightly and Idaho is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Oregon and banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho, and marijuana is legal for adults in Oregon and illegal in Idaho as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.70 an hour in Oregon and $7.25 in Idaho.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood) and moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake), so Idaho is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Oregon and 48 in Idaho (under 50 is good), favoring Idaho.
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
5
Oregon
9
Idaho
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Oregon or Idaho better to live in?
Idaho wins more of the measures that decide a move. Idaho on taxes ($7,085 a year for a median household against $10,143); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 110); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 302); Oregon on schools (ranked 21st against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Oregon or Idaho?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 110. The median home is $480K in Oregon and $425K in Idaho (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $3,100 a year.
Does Oregon or Idaho have lower taxes?
Idaho. A household earning $74,580 pays about $10,143 a year in Oregon ($6,207 income tax, $3,936 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax) and $7,085 in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Oregon or Idaho?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 302 per 100,000 residents in Oregon and 228 in Idaho; property crime is 3,078 against 1,535.
Which has better schools, Oregon or Idaho?
Oregon. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oregon 21st of 50 for K-12 and Idaho 30th.
Is Oregon or Idaho better for retirees?
Idaho is friendlier to retirees on paper. Oregon does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,936 a year in Oregon and $2,040 in Idaho.