State comparison
Utah vs Wyoming: which state is better to live in?
Wyoming costs a median household about $4,000 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 7 categories
Wyoming
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Utah vs Wyoming
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. Wyoming has no state income tax. Wyoming wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.44% of home value a year in Utah and 0.55% in Wyoming (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $1,925, so Utah has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.19% in Utah and 5.34% in Wyoming; Wyoming 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, $3,120 in Wyoming. Wyoming is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Utah's cost of living index is 101 and Wyoming's is 101, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $500K in Utah and $350K in Wyoming (Zillow, 2024), a $150K gap in Wyoming's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,650 a month in Utah and $1,300 in Wyoming.
Home insurance averages $900 a year in Utah and $1,500 in Wyoming, so Utah is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 237 incidents per 100,000 residents in Utah and 221 in Wyoming (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wyoming is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 7% lower. Property crime is 2,280 per 100,000 in Utah against 1,812 in Wyoming, again favoring Wyoming.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in Utah and 76 in Wyoming (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.2-year edge for Utah. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Utah's health system 31st of 50 and Wyoming's 33rd, so Utah scores better on care.
9.8% of Utah residents have no health insurance against 12.3% in Wyoming, which favors Utah. Utah expanded Medicaid and Wyoming did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Utah's K-12 schools 37th in the country and Wyoming's 39th, 2 places apart in Utah's favor. Utah runs a school-choice voucher program; Wyoming does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Utah went to Trump by 13 points and Wyoming went to Trump by 43 points.
Utah has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Wyoming has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in both states, and marijuana is medical only in Utah and illegal in Wyoming as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Utah and $7.25 in Wyoming.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Utah (drought, wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in Wyoming (blizzard, drought, wildfire). Annual average air quality index is 55 in Utah and 30 in Wyoming (under 50 is good), favoring Wyoming.
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
Utah
8
Wyoming
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Utah or Wyoming better to live in?
Wyoming wins more of the measures that decide a move. Wyoming on taxes ($3,120 a year for a median household against $7,128); Wyoming on safety (221 violent crimes per 100,000 against 237); Utah on schools (ranked 37th against 39th).
Which is cheaper, Utah or Wyoming?
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 $350K in Wyoming (2024). On state and local taxes Wyoming saves a median household about $4,000 a year.
Does Utah or Wyoming have lower taxes?
Wyoming. 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 $3,120 in Wyoming ($0 income tax, $1,925 property tax on the median home and $1,195 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Utah or Wyoming?
Wyoming, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 237 per 100,000 residents in Utah and 221 in Wyoming; property crime is 2,280 against 1,812.
Which has better schools, Utah or Wyoming?
Utah. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Utah 37th of 50 for K-12 and Wyoming 39th. Utah also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Utah or Wyoming better for retirees?
Wyoming is friendlier to retirees on paper. Utah taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Wyoming 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 $1,925 in Wyoming.