State comparison
Vermont vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $7,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Vermont, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,200 a year against $6,574 in Vermont.
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 7 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Vermont vs Nevada
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. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Vermont and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,574 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.22% in Vermont and 8.23% in Nevada; Vermont is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,282 a year in Vermont, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Vermont's cost of living index is 111 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 10% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $380K in Vermont and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $35K gap in Vermont's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Vermont and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $900 a year in Vermont and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 167 incidents per 100,000 residents in Vermont and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Vermont is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 256% lower. Property crime is 1,390 per 100,000 in Vermont against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Vermont.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Vermont and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 4.3-year edge for Vermont. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Vermont's health system 5th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Vermont scores better on care.
3.8% of Vermont residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Vermont. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Vermont's K-12 schools 6th in the country and Nevada's 48th, 42 places apart in Vermont's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Vermont went to Harris by 31 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Vermont has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of B-; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Vermont 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 $13.67 an hour in Vermont and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat), so Vermont is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 27 in Vermont and 40 in Nevada (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
7
Vermont
10
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Vermont 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 $11,282); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 111); Vermont on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Vermont on schools (ranked 6th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Vermont or Nevada?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 111. The median home is $380K in Vermont and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $7,200 a year.
Does Vermont or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,282 a year in Vermont ($3,317 income tax, $6,574 property tax on the median home and $1,392 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, Vermont or Nevada?
Vermont, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 167 per 100,000 residents in Vermont and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,390 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Vermont or Nevada?
Vermont. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Vermont 6th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th.
Is Vermont or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Vermont 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 $6,574 a year in Vermont and $2,200 in Nevada.