State comparison
Wyoming vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Wyoming costs a median household about $920 a year less in state and local taxes than Nevada, mostly because its combined sales tax is 5.34% against 8.23%.
Wyoming
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 9 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 3 categories
Taxes: Wyoming vs Nevada
Neither Wyoming nor Nevada 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 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.34% in Wyoming and 8.23% in Nevada; Wyoming 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, $4,041 in Nevada. Wyoming is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Wyoming's cost of living index is 101 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $350K in Wyoming and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Wyoming's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,300 a month in Wyoming and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Wyoming and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 221 incidents per 100,000 residents in Wyoming and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wyoming is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 169% lower. Property crime is 1,812 per 100,000 in Wyoming against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Wyoming.
Health
Life expectancy is 76 years in Wyoming and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.5-year edge for Wyoming. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Wyoming's health system 33rd of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Wyoming scores better on care.
12.3% of Wyoming residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, which favors Nevada. Nevada 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 Nevada's 48th, 9 places apart in Wyoming's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Wyoming does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Wyoming went to Trump by 43 points and Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Wyoming has permitless carry 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 Wyoming is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Wyoming and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is illegal in Wyoming and legal for adults in Nevada as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Wyoming and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Wyoming (blizzard, drought, wildfire) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 30 in Wyoming and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Wyoming.
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
Wyoming
3
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Wyoming or Nevada 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 $4,041); Wyoming on safety (221 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Wyoming on schools (ranked 39th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Wyoming or Nevada?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 101. The median home is $350K in Wyoming and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Wyoming saves a median household about $920 a year.
Does Wyoming or Nevada 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 $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, Wyoming or Nevada?
Wyoming, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 221 per 100,000 residents in Wyoming and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,812 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Wyoming or Nevada?
Wyoming. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Wyoming 39th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Wyoming or Nevada 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; Nevada 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 $2,200 in Nevada.