State comparison
Utah vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $3,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Utah, mostly because it has no income tax.
Utah
Moderate tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 9 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Utah vs Nevada
Utah has a flat 4.65% income tax, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,319 a year. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.44% of home value a year in Utah and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $2,200, so Utah has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.19% in Utah and 8.23% in Nevada; Utah is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,128 a year in Utah, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Utah's cost of living index is 101 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $500K in Utah and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $85K gap in Nevada's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,650 a month in Utah and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $900 a year in Utah and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 237 incidents per 100,000 residents in Utah and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Utah is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 151% lower. Property crime is 2,280 per 100,000 in Utah against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Utah.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in Utah and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.7-year edge for Utah. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Utah's health system 31st of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Utah scores better on care.
9.8% of Utah residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Utah. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Utah's K-12 schools 37th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 11 places apart in Utah's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Utah went to Trump by 13 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Utah 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 Utah is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Utah and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is medical only in Utah and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Utah and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Utah (drought, wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 55 in Utah 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
9
Utah
6
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Utah or Nevada better to live in?
Utah wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $7,128); Utah on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Utah on schools (ranked 37th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Utah or Nevada?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 101. The median home is $500K in Utah and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $3,100 a year.
Does Utah or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,128 a year in Utah ($3,319 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,609 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, Utah or Nevada?
Utah, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 237 per 100,000 residents in Utah and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 2,280 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Utah or Nevada?
Utah. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Utah 37th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th.
Is Utah or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Utah taxes Social Security, partly 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 $2,200 a year in Utah and $2,200 in Nevada.