State comparison
California vs Illinois: which state is better to live in?
Illinois costs a median household about $530 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $4,758 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 5 categories
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: California vs Illinois
California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 a year. Illinois has a flat 4.95% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,692 a year. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.73% in Illinois (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $4,758, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California and 8.82% in Illinois; the two match.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,957 a year in California, $10,423 in Illinois. Illinois is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Illinois's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 54% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $275K in Illinois (Zillow, 2024), a $515K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,400 in Illinois.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $1,900 in Illinois, so Illinois is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 413 in Illinois (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Illinois is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 21% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,666 in Illinois, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 77.2 in Illinois (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.0-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Illinois's 20th, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 7.4% in Illinois, which favors California. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Illinois's 16th, 4 places apart in Illinois's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election California went to Harris by 20 points and Illinois went to Harris by 14 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $14.00 in Illinois.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard), so Illinois is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California and 45 in Illinois (under 50 is good), favoring Illinois.
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
5
California
9
Illinois
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Illinois better to live in?
Illinois wins more of the measures that decide a move. Illinois on taxes ($10,423 a year for a median household against $10,957); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 142); Illinois on safety (413 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, California or Illinois?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $275K in Illinois (2024). On state and local taxes Illinois saves a median household about $530 a year.
Does California or Illinois have lower taxes?
Illinois. A household earning $74,580 pays about $10,957 a year in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax) and $10,423 in Illinois ($3,692 income tax, $4,758 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, California or Illinois?
Illinois, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 413 in Illinois; property crime is 2,027 against 1,666.
Which has better schools, California or Illinois?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Illinois 16th.
Is California or Illinois better for retirees?
Illinois is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax; Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,609 a year in California and $4,758 in Illinois.