Georgia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 5 categories
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 9 categories
Property taxes are meaningfully different: Illinois averages 1.73% annually vs Georgia's 0.81%. Politically, Georgia voted Republican in 2024 (R+2.0) while Illinois went Democratic (D+14.0).
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
5
Georgia
9
Illinois
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Illinois was ranked near the top for both quality of life and safety. However, the state's economy was nearly the worst in the country. The analysis also included rankings for individual categories like homeownership rates and housing costs.