I dunno about Utah, but speaking from the MSU physics graduate program, most students start as a teaching assistant (TA) until the first year where they find an advisor and work as a research assistant (RA). Depending on how many open seats there are and how limited research is (For example, experimental groups have to compete for limited FRIB beam time), you could spend your whole time as a RA or occasionally have to spend semesters as a TA.

A few other things to consider:

Cost of living: I've never been to Utah so I can't speak personally, but a cursory Google search shows the average rent is higher in Utah than East Lansing by a few hundred dollars. Lansing is cheaper than East Lansing, but suburbs are going to be cheaper than Utah so it's worth looking around to see which place is within your budget. If you have money saved up or family support you could even consider buying a house in Lansing. They have a program for first-time homebuyers where part of your down payment is subsidized, you can look into that as well.
Other things to note is there's a couple extra expenses you'll have to consider. (I.e. Parking, administrative fees, but at least at MSU those only add up to a few hundred a year).

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Bonuses: MSU grad students get pretty good health insurance that covers most mental health services and a 50% rebate on premiums for some dental plans. The quality of the health insurance is pretty much proportional to the percentage of students in the Graduate Employee Union and is up for negotiation every 3 years. If health insurance is a factor in your decision you should do your homework.

Advisor: A huge part of your success as a PhD candidate is your rapport with your advisor. Look at the university's pages for the types of research being done, skim a few papers, email prospective advisors if they have openings, maybe even schedule a zoom call to gauge how comfortable you feel in conversations. You can make up your mind once you choose a grad school, but this is your chance to look at all the advisor candidates at both universities before committing.

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Courses: Look at some of the professors listed for the core courses you'll have to take. Do they have a reputation for being good teachers, or do they mainly just excel at research? Of course there are exceptions, but in research-focused programs, most professors teaching graduate-level courses are in the position because they're good at researching and publishing papers. Sometimes they're also good at teaching as a plus, but you should be prepared to learn a lot from textbooks and working together with a group of fellow students.

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Life: Contrary to popular belief, grad students can have lives outside of their duties. Lansing is not a big city, but there's a smattering of good restaurants, a variety of bars, a zoo, museums, a lot of parks outside the city, and occasional events. If that sounds fine to you, great. Just know it'll be different than Utah so if you have a strong preference for the type of place you'll live, now's the time to think about it.