State comparison
Oregon vs Vermont: which state is better to live in?
Oregon costs a median household about $1,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Vermont, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,936 a year against $6,574 in Vermont.
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 6 categories
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Oregon vs Vermont
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. Vermont has a graduated income tax topping out at 8.75%, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,317 a year. Vermont wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.82% of home value a year in Oregon and 1.73% in Vermont (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,936 against $6,574, so Oregon has the lower rate.
Oregon has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 6.22% in Vermont.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,143 a year in Oregon, $11,282 in Vermont. Oregon is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Oregon's cost of living index is 110 and Vermont's is 111, where 100 is the national average; Oregon is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $480K in Oregon and $380K in Vermont (Zillow, 2024), a $100K gap in Vermont's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month in Oregon and $1,600 in Vermont.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Oregon and $900 in Vermont, so Oregon is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 302 incidents per 100,000 residents in Oregon and 167 in Vermont (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Vermont is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 81% lower. Property crime is 3,078 per 100,000 in Oregon against 1,390 in Vermont, again favoring Vermont.
Health
Life expectancy is 78 years in Oregon and 79.8 in Vermont (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.8-year edge for Vermont. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Oregon's health system 14th of 50 and Vermont's 5th, so Vermont scores better on care.
7.1% of Oregon 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 Oregon's K-12 schools 21st in the country and Vermont's 6th, 15 places apart in Vermont's favor. Vermont 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 Vermont went to Harris by 31 points.
Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Vermont has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so Oregon regulates guns more tightly and Vermont 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 $13.67 in Vermont.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood) and low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter), so Vermont is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Oregon 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 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
6
Oregon
9
Vermont
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Oregon or Vermont better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Oregon on taxes ($10,143 a year for a median household against $11,282); Oregon on everyday costs (index 110 against 111); Vermont on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 302); Vermont on schools (ranked 6th against 21st).
Which is cheaper, Oregon or Vermont?
Oregon is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 110 against 111. The median home is $480K in Oregon and $380K in Vermont (2024). On state and local taxes Oregon saves a median household about $1,100 a year.
Does Oregon or Vermont have lower taxes?
Oregon. 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 $11,282 in Vermont ($3,317 income tax, $6,574 property tax on the median home and $1,392 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Oregon or Vermont?
Vermont, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 302 per 100,000 residents in Oregon and 167 in Vermont; property crime is 3,078 against 1,390.
Which has better schools, Oregon or Vermont?
Vermont. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oregon 21st of 50 for K-12 and Vermont 6th. Vermont also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Oregon or Vermont better for retirees?
Oregon is friendlier to retirees on paper. Oregon does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Vermont taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,936 a year in Oregon and $6,574 in Vermont.