State comparison
Wisconsin vs Idaho: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $1,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Wisconsin, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,040 a year against $4,304 in Wisconsin, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 96 against 93).
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 8 categories
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Wisconsin vs Idaho
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. Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 a year. Wisconsin wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.51% of home value a year in Wisconsin and 0.48% in Idaho (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,304 against $2,040, so Idaho has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.43% in Wisconsin and 6.02% in Idaho; Wisconsin 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, $7,085 in Idaho. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Wisconsin's cost of living index is 93 and Idaho's is 96, where 100 is the national average; Wisconsin is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $285K in Wisconsin and $425K in Idaho (Zillow, 2024), a $140K gap in Wisconsin's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,200 a month in Wisconsin and $1,500 in Idaho.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Wisconsin and $800 in Idaho, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 295 incidents per 100,000 residents in Wisconsin and 228 in Idaho (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 29% lower. Property crime is 1,787 per 100,000 in Wisconsin against 1,535 in Idaho, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.1 years in Wisconsin and 77.7 in Idaho (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.4-year edge for Wisconsin. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Wisconsin's health system 8th of 50 and Idaho's 32nd, so Wisconsin scores better on care.
5.7% of Wisconsin residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in Idaho, which favors Wisconsin. Idaho 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 Idaho's 30th, 19 places apart in Wisconsin's favor. Wisconsin runs a school-choice voucher program; Idaho does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points and Idaho went to Trump by 30 points.
Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Idaho has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is legal with limits in Wisconsin and banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho, and marijuana is illegal in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Wisconsin and $7.25 in Idaho.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 34 in Wisconsin and 48 in Idaho (under 50 is good), favoring Wisconsin.
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
8
Wisconsin
6
Idaho
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Wisconsin or Idaho better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Idaho on taxes ($7,085 a year for a median household against $8,868); Wisconsin on everyday costs (index 93 against 96); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 295); Wisconsin on schools (ranked 11th against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Wisconsin or Idaho?
Wisconsin is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 96. The median home is $285K in Wisconsin and $425K in Idaho (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $1,800 a year.
Does Wisconsin or Idaho have lower taxes?
Idaho. 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 $7,085 in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Wisconsin or Idaho?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 295 per 100,000 residents in Wisconsin and 228 in Idaho; property crime is 1,787 against 1,535.
Which has better schools, Wisconsin or Idaho?
Wisconsin. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Wisconsin 11th of 50 for K-12 and Idaho 30th. Wisconsin also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Wisconsin or Idaho better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Wisconsin does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $4,304 a year in Wisconsin and $2,040 in Idaho.