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