How Affordable Is North Dakota, Really?

What it costs to live here, and how good a place it is to live, in plain numbers.

Best place to live rank

#23

23rd out of 50 states overall.

Above average for overall quality of life.

How we rank states ›

Cost to live here

#9

9th cheapest state, about 16% below average.

To live the way $75,000 affords in an average state, you would need about $63,300 here.

How we measure cost ›

North Dakota ranks 23rd of 50 states for overall quality of life and 9th for affordability. It does best on air quality, cost, and safety, and struggles most with walkability, climate, and green space. A typical household earns about $73,000 a year, and the cost of living runs about 16% below average.

Why North Dakota ranks #23 for living

Our Best Life Rank scores every state on the things that shape daily life, from cost and climate to schools and safety. Here is how North Dakota scores on each, best to worst.

Air quality
#8 of 50
Cost of living
#9 of 50
Safety
#18 of 50
Healthcare
#20 of 50
Education
#24 of 50
Economy
#32 of 50
Dog friendly
#43 of 50
Walkability
#46 of 50
Climate
#47 of 50
Green space
#49 of 50

Each factor is ranked 1 (best) to 50 (worst) across all states. Green is strong, yellow is middling, red is weak.

North Dakota at a glance

Typical household income

$73,000

20th highest

Typical home price

$269,000

36th highest

Overall cost of living

16% below average

9th cheapest

Total taxes on a typical household

About 7%

40th highest income tax

Typical commute

About 18 min

one way

Taxes in North Dakota

See your real North Dakota take-home pay

Enter your salary and get your actual paycheck after North Dakota taxes.

Calculate my take-home pay ›
Sources: Cost and income from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Best Life Rank factors from the Commonwealth Fund, NAEP, FBI, EPA, and NOAA. Cost measured by the BLISS Score, v1.3 method. Updated 2026.