State comparison
Wisconsin vs Alaska: which state is better to live in?
Alaska costs a median household about $4,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Wisconsin, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 126 against 93).
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 11 categories
Alaska
Low tax burden · COL index 126
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: Wisconsin vs Alaska
Wisconsin has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.65%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,349 a year. Alaska has no state income tax. Alaska wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.51% of home value a year in Wisconsin and 1.04% in Alaska (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,304 against $3,536, so Alaska has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.43% in Wisconsin and 1.76% in Alaska; Alaska is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,868 a year in Wisconsin, $3,930 in Alaska. Alaska is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Wisconsin's cost of living index is 93 and Alaska's is 126, where 100 is the national average; Wisconsin is about 35% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $285K in Wisconsin and $340K in Alaska (Zillow, 2024), a $55K gap in Wisconsin's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,200 a month in Wisconsin and $1,350 in Alaska.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Wisconsin and $1,400 in Alaska, so Wisconsin is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 295 incidents per 100,000 residents in Wisconsin and 838 in Alaska (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wisconsin is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 184% lower. Property crime is 1,787 per 100,000 in Wisconsin against 2,544 in Alaska, again favoring Wisconsin.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.1 years in Wisconsin and 75 in Alaska (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.1-year edge for Wisconsin. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Wisconsin's health system 8th of 50 and Alaska's 48th, so Wisconsin scores better on care.
5.7% of Wisconsin residents have no health insurance against 12.1% in Alaska, which favors Wisconsin. Alaska expanded Medicaid and Wisconsin did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Wisconsin's K-12 schools 11th in the country and Alaska's 35th, 24 places apart in Wisconsin's favor. Wisconsin runs a school-choice voucher program; Alaska does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points and Alaska went to Trump by 13 points.
Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Alaska has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is legal with limits in Wisconsin and protected by state law in Alaska, and marijuana is illegal in Wisconsin and legal for adults in Alaska as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Wisconsin and $11.73 in Alaska.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Alaska (earthquake, tsunami, wildfire). Annual average air quality index is 34 in Wisconsin and 29 in Alaska (under 50 is good), favoring Alaska.
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
11
Wisconsin
4
Alaska
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Wisconsin or Alaska better to live in?
Wisconsin wins more of the measures that decide a move. Alaska on taxes ($3,930 a year for a median household against $8,868); Wisconsin on everyday costs (index 93 against 126); Wisconsin on safety (295 violent crimes per 100,000 against 838); Wisconsin on schools (ranked 11th against 35th).
Which is cheaper, Wisconsin or Alaska?
Wisconsin is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 126. The median home is $285K in Wisconsin and $340K in Alaska (2024). On state and local taxes Alaska saves a median household about $4,900 a year.
Does Wisconsin or Alaska have lower taxes?
Alaska. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,868 a year in Wisconsin ($3,349 income tax, $4,304 property tax on the median home and $1,215 in sales tax) and $3,930 in Alaska ($0 income tax, $3,536 property tax on the median home and $394 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Wisconsin or Alaska?
Wisconsin, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 295 per 100,000 residents in Wisconsin and 838 in Alaska; property crime is 1,787 against 2,544.
Which has better schools, Wisconsin or Alaska?
Wisconsin. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Wisconsin 11th of 50 for K-12 and Alaska 35th. Wisconsin also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Wisconsin or Alaska better for retirees?
Alaska is friendlier to retirees on paper. Wisconsin does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Alaska does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $4,304 a year in Wisconsin and $3,536 in Alaska.