State comparison
Tennessee vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $330 a year less in state and local taxes than Nevada, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,575 a year against $2,200 in Nevada.
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 7 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Tennessee vs Nevada
Neither Tennessee nor Nevada has a state income tax, so wages are untouched at the state level in both.
Property tax is 0.45% of home value a year in Tennessee and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,575 against $2,200, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.55% in Tennessee and 8.23% in Nevada; Nevada is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $3,712 a year in Tennessee, $4,041 in Nevada. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Tennessee's cost of living index is 92 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Tennessee is about 10% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Tennessee and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Tennessee's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Tennessee and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $2,000 a year in Tennessee and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 668 incidents per 100,000 residents in Tennessee and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Nevada is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 12% lower. Property crime is 2,752 per 100,000 in Tennessee against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Nevada.
Health
Life expectancy is 74.2 years in Tennessee and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.3-year edge for Nevada. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Tennessee's health system 39th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Nevada scores better on care.
10.4% of Tennessee residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Tennessee. Nevada expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Tennessee's K-12 schools 41st in the country and Nevada's 48th, 7 places apart in Tennessee's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Tennessee has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Nevada regulates guns more tightly and Tennessee is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Tennessee and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is illegal in Tennessee and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Tennessee and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 36 in Tennessee and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Tennessee.
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
Tennessee
5
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Tennessee or Nevada better to live in?
Tennessee wins more of the measures that decide a move. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $4,041); Tennessee on everyday costs (index 92 against 101); Nevada on safety (595 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Tennessee on schools (ranked 41st against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Tennessee or Nevada?
Tennessee is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 101. The median home is $350K in Tennessee and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $330 a year.
Does Tennessee or Nevada have lower taxes?
Tennessee. A household earning $74,580 pays about $3,712 a year in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 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, Tennessee or Nevada?
Nevada, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 668 per 100,000 residents in Tennessee and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 2,752 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Tennessee or Nevada?
Tennessee. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Tennessee 41st of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th.
Is Tennessee or Nevada better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Tennessee does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,575 a year in Tennessee and $2,200 in Nevada.