State comparison
Rhode Island vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $5,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Rhode Island, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,200 a year against $5,590 in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 6 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Rhode Island vs Nevada
Rhode Island has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.99%, which works out to 3.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,797 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.30% of home value a year in Rhode Island and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,590 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.00% in Rhode Island and 8.23% in Nevada; Rhode Island is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $9,953 a year in Rhode Island, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Rhode Island's cost of living index is 114 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 13% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $430K in Rhode Island and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $15K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Rhode Island and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in Rhode Island and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 237 incidents per 100,000 residents in Rhode Island and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Rhode Island is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 151% lower. Property crime is 1,527 per 100,000 in Rhode Island against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Rhode Island.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.1 years in Rhode Island and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.6-year edge for Rhode Island. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Rhode Island's health system 4th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Rhode Island scores better on care.
4.7% of Rhode Island residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Rhode Island. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Rhode Island's K-12 schools 13th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 35 places apart in Rhode Island's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Rhode Island does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Rhode Island went to Harris by 17 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Rhode Island has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of B; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Rhode Island 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 $14.00 an hour in Rhode Island and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Rhode Island (hurricane, nor-easter, flood) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Rhode Island and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Rhode Island.
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
Rhode Island
11
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Rhode Island 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 $9,953); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 114); Rhode Island on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Rhode Island on schools (ranked 13th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Rhode Island or Nevada?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 114. The median home is $430K in Rhode Island and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $5,900 a year.
Does Rhode Island or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $9,953 a year in Rhode Island ($2,797 income tax, $5,590 property tax on the median home and $1,566 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, Rhode Island or Nevada?
Rhode Island, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 237 per 100,000 residents in Rhode Island and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,527 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Rhode Island or Nevada?
Rhode Island. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Rhode Island 13th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Rhode Island or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Rhode Island taxes 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 $5,590 a year in Rhode Island and $2,200 in Nevada.