State comparison
Wyoming vs Alaska: which state is better to live in?
Wyoming costs a median household about $810 a year less in state and local taxes than Alaska, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,925 a year against $3,536 in Alaska.
Wyoming
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Alaska
Low tax burden · COL index 126
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Wyoming vs Alaska
Neither Wyoming nor Alaska has a state income tax, so wages are untouched at the state level in both.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in Wyoming and 1.04% in Alaska (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $3,536, so Wyoming has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.34% in Wyoming 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: $3,120 a year in Wyoming, $3,930 in Alaska. Wyoming is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Wyoming's cost of living index is 101 and Alaska's is 126, where 100 is the national average; Wyoming is about 25% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Wyoming and $340K in Alaska (Zillow, 2024), a $10K gap in Alaska's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,300 a month in Wyoming and $1,350 in Alaska.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Wyoming and $1,400 in Alaska, so Alaska is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 221 incidents per 100,000 residents in Wyoming and 838 in Alaska (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wyoming is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 279% lower. Property crime is 1,812 per 100,000 in Wyoming against 2,544 in Alaska, again favoring Wyoming.
Health
Life expectancy is 76 years in Wyoming and 75 in Alaska (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.0-year edge for Wyoming. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Wyoming's health system 33rd of 50 and Alaska's 48th, so Wyoming scores better on care.
12.3% of Wyoming residents have no health insurance against 12.1% in Alaska, which favors Alaska. Alaska expanded Medicaid and Wyoming did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Wyoming's K-12 schools 39th in the country and Alaska's 35th, 4 places apart in Alaska's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Wyoming went to Trump by 43 points and Alaska went to Trump by 13 points.
Wyoming has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Alaska has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Wyoming and protected by state law in Alaska, and marijuana is illegal in Wyoming and legal for adults in Alaska as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Wyoming and $11.73 in Alaska.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Wyoming (blizzard, drought, wildfire) and moderate in Alaska (earthquake, tsunami, wildfire). Annual average air quality index is 30 in Wyoming 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
8
Wyoming
5
Alaska
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Wyoming or Alaska 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 $3,930); Wyoming on everyday costs (index 101 against 126); Wyoming on safety (221 violent crimes per 100,000 against 838); Alaska on schools (ranked 35th against 39th).
Which is cheaper, Wyoming or Alaska?
Wyoming is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 126. The median home is $350K in Wyoming and $340K in Alaska (2024). On state and local taxes Wyoming saves a median household about $810 a year.
Does Wyoming or Alaska have lower taxes?
Wyoming. A household earning $74,580 pays about $3,120 a year in Wyoming ($0 income tax, $1,925 property tax on the median home and $1,195 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, Wyoming or Alaska?
Wyoming, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 221 per 100,000 residents in Wyoming and 838 in Alaska; property crime is 1,812 against 2,544.
Which has better schools, Wyoming or Alaska?
Alaska. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Wyoming 39th of 50 for K-12 and Alaska 35th.
Is Wyoming or Alaska better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Wyoming does not tax Social Security, 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 $1,925 a year in Wyoming and $3,536 in Alaska.