State comparison
Oregon vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $6,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Oregon, mostly because it has no income tax.
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 7 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Oregon vs Nevada
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. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.82% of home value a year in Oregon and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,936 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Oregon has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,143 a year in Oregon, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Oregon's cost of living index is 110 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 9% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $480K in Oregon and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month in Oregon and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Oregon and $800 in Nevada.
Safety
Violent crime runs 302 incidents per 100,000 residents in Oregon and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Oregon is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 97% lower. Property crime is 3,078 per 100,000 in Oregon against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Nevada.
Health
Life expectancy is 78 years in Oregon and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.5-year edge for Oregon. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Oregon's health system 14th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Oregon scores better on care.
7.1% of Oregon residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, 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 Nevada's 48th, 27 places apart in Oregon's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Oregon does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Oregon went to Harris by 14 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Oregon regulates guns more tightly and Nevada 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 $14.70 an hour in Oregon and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat), so Nevada is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Oregon and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Nevada.
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
Oregon
8
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Oregon or Nevada better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $10,143); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 110); Oregon on safety (302 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Oregon on schools (ranked 21st against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Oregon or Nevada?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 110. The median home is $480K in Oregon and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $6,100 a year.
Does Oregon or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. 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 $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Oregon or Nevada?
Oregon, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 302 per 100,000 residents in Oregon and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 3,078 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Oregon or Nevada?
Oregon. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oregon 21st of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Oregon or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Oregon does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,936 a year in Oregon and $2,200 in Nevada.