State comparison
Wisconsin vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $4,800 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 101 against 93).
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 9 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Wisconsin vs Nevada
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. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.51% of home value a year in Wisconsin and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,304 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.43% in Wisconsin and 8.23% in Nevada; 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, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Wisconsin's cost of living index is 93 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Wisconsin is about 9% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $285K in Wisconsin and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $130K gap in Wisconsin's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,200 a month in Wisconsin and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $1,100 a year in Wisconsin and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 295 incidents per 100,000 residents in Wisconsin and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wisconsin is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 102% lower. Property crime is 1,787 per 100,000 in Wisconsin against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Wisconsin.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.1 years in Wisconsin and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.6-year edge for Wisconsin. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Wisconsin's health system 8th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Wisconsin scores better on care.
5.7% of Wisconsin residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Wisconsin. Nevada 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 Nevada's 48th, 37 places apart in Wisconsin's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits 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 Wisconsin is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is legal with limits in Wisconsin and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is illegal in Wisconsin and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Wisconsin and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 34 in Wisconsin and 40 in Nevada (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
9
Wisconsin
6
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Wisconsin or Nevada better to live in?
Wisconsin wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $8,868); Wisconsin on everyday costs (index 93 against 101); Wisconsin on safety (295 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Wisconsin on schools (ranked 11th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Wisconsin or Nevada?
Wisconsin is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 93 against 101. The median home is $285K in Wisconsin and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $4,800 a year.
Does Wisconsin or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. 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 $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, Wisconsin or Nevada?
Wisconsin, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 295 per 100,000 residents in Wisconsin and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,787 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Wisconsin or Nevada?
Wisconsin. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Wisconsin 11th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th.
Is Wisconsin or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Wisconsin does not tax 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 $4,304 a year in Wisconsin and $2,200 in Nevada.