Which states have no income tax?

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Not all of them have cities in our 152 city dataset, so the ranking draws from the ones that do.

Does no income tax mean a cheaper life overall?

Not automatically. States without an income tax tend to recover it through property tax, sales tax, or both, and housing cost swamps either one in most budgets. That is why rent carries 35% of this ranking instead of letting the tax line carry it alone.

Why does Washington rank so well?

It is the rare no-income-tax state with serious public land: National Forest and National Park acreage within an easy drive of most of its metros, plus a climate mild enough to use it for most of the year. The rent cap is what keeps the list honest about which of its cities qualify.

How much does the tax difference actually change?

It depends on the state you are leaving. Moving from a 6% state to a 0% state on a $120,000 salary is roughly $600 a month of difference in what the same life costs you. Against a rent gap that can run twice that between two cities on this list, it is meaningful but rarely decisive on its own.

Best Outdoor Cities With No State Income Tax (2026)

The no-income-tax move usually gets pitched as a pure math exercise, and it usually resolves to the same three Sun Belt metros. The math is real: on a $120,000 salary, a 6% state rate is roughly $600 a month of difference in what the same life costs. It just should not be the only input, because the cities that clear the tax bar vary enormously in every other way.

This list takes the states with no personal income tax and ranks their cities on outdoor access first, with rent close behind. Washington ends up doing most of the work, which is not the usual answer, and that is the point.

the ranking

01
WA
Photo by Chris Johnson on Unsplash
Spokane
WA · 600k metro
Spokane tops the no-tax list on outdoor access, not on the tax line alone: OutdoorScore 81/100 at $1,520 median rent. Mount Spokane is 16.5 miles out.
0%
state and local income tax
81
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
$1,520
median rent / month
see the full dispatch for Spokane
02
FL
Photo by Kevin Dunlap on Unsplash
Pensacola
FL · 530k metro
Pensacola takes second with an OutdoorScore of 69 and $1,752 a month, and no state income tax on top of it.
0%
state and local income tax
69
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
$1,752
median rent / month
see the full dispatch for Pensacola
03
WA
Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash
Seattle
WA · 4.0M metro
Third goes to Seattle, which posts the kind of OutdoorScore (93/100) that usually comes with a state tax bill attached. Rent runs $2,193.
0%
state and local income tax
93
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
$2,193
median rent / month
see the full dispatch for Seattle
04
WA
Photo by Severus Jones on Pexels
Kennewick
WA · 314k metro
Kennewick clears both bars: no income tax, $1,686 median rent, OutdoorScore 74. Hanford Reach National Monument is 25.6 miles out.
0%
state and local income tax
74
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
$1,686
median rent / month
see the full dispatch for Kennewick
05
WA
Photo by JOHN CALLERY on Pexels
Olympia
WA · 299k metro
Olympia earns it on access rather than price, with an OutdoorScore of 80 against $1,991 rent. The outdoor year runs most of the calendar.
0%
state and local income tax
80
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
$1,991
median rent / month
see the full dispatch for Olympia
06
TX
Photo by Greg Bulla on Unsplash
El Paso
TX · 872k metro
El Paso is the mid-list pick that holds up: $1,473 a month, OutdoorScore 65, and nothing withheld at the state level. The outdoor year runs most of the calendar.
0%
state and local income tax
65
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
$1,473
median rent / month
see the full dispatch for El Paso
07
NV
Photo by Ryan Kim on Unsplash
Las Vegas
NV · 2.3M metro
Las Vegas makes the ten on outdoor reach and cost together: OutdoorScore 80, $1,731 median rent. The outdoor calendar runs fall through spring here rather than all summer.
0%
state and local income tax
80
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
$1,731
median rent / month
see the full dispatch for Las Vegas
08
TN
Photo by Stephen Ellis on Unsplash
Knoxville
TN · 947k metro
Knoxville keeps both lines low, at $1,731 rent with no state income tax, and still posts an OutdoorScore of 69.
0%
state and local income tax
69
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
$1,731
median rent / month
see the full dispatch for Knoxville
09
TN
Photo by Sarah Swainson on Unsplash
Chattanooga
TN · 580k metro
Chattanooga lands ninth on a steady set of numbers: OutdoorScore 69, $1,524 a month, and Cumberland Trail is 12.2 miles out.
0%
state and local income tax
69
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
$1,524
median rent / month
see the full dispatch for Chattanooga
10
FL
Photo by Michael Hamments on Unsplash
Ocala
FL · 410k metro
Ocala rounds out the list with $1,616 median rent and an OutdoorScore of 62, no state income tax included.
0%
state and local income tax
62
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
$1,616
median rent / month
see the full dispatch for Ocala

how we ranked

We filter to cities in states with no personal income tax and cap median rent at $2,200, then rank by 45% OutdoorScore (Landable's blend of urban park quality and proximity to National Parks, State Parks, and National Forests within 75 miles), 35% affordability, and 20% weather.

common questions

Which states have no income tax?: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Not all of them have cities in our 152 city dataset, so the ranking draws from the ones that do.
Does no income tax mean a cheaper life overall?: Not automatically. States without an income tax tend to recover it through property tax, sales tax, or both, and housing cost swamps either one in most budgets. That is why rent carries 35% of this ranking instead of letting the tax line carry it alone.
Why does Washington rank so well?: It is the rare no-income-tax state with serious public land: National Forest and National Park acreage within an easy drive of most of its metros, plus a climate mild enough to use it for most of the year. The rent cap is what keeps the list honest about which of its cities qualify.
How much does the tax difference actually change?: It depends on the state you are leaving. Moving from a 6% state to a 0% state on a $120,000 salary is roughly $600 a month of difference in what the same life costs you. Against a rent gap that can run twice that between two cities on this list, it is meaningful but rarely decisive on its own.

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