State comparison
Illinois vs Louisiana: which state is better to live in?
Louisiana costs a median household about $4,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,140 a year against $4,758 in Illinois.
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 7 categories
Louisiana
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Louisiana
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. Louisiana has a graduated income tax topping out at 3%, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,588 a year. Louisiana wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 0.53% in Louisiana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $1,140, so Louisiana has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 9.56% in Louisiana; Illinois is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,423 a year in Illinois, $5,867 in Louisiana. Louisiana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Louisiana's is 91, where 100 is the national average; Louisiana is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $215K in Louisiana (Zillow, 2024), a $60K gap in Louisiana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,100 in Louisiana.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $3,000 in Louisiana, so Illinois is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 587 in Louisiana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Illinois is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 42% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 2,426 in Louisiana, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 73 in Louisiana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 4.2-year edge for Illinois. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Louisiana's 45th, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 8.5% in Louisiana, which favors Illinois. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois's K-12 schools 16th in the country and Louisiana's 47th, 31 places apart in Illinois's favor. Louisiana runs a school-choice voucher program; Illinois does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Illinois went to Harris by 14 points and Louisiana went to Trump by 20 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Louisiana has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Louisiana is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Illinois and banned with narrow exceptions in Louisiana, and marijuana is legal for adults in Illinois and medical only in Louisiana as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Illinois and $7.25 in Louisiana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and very high in Louisiana (hurricane, flood, tornado), so Illinois is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 36 in Louisiana (under 50 is good), favoring Louisiana.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
7
Illinois
8
Louisiana
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 Illinois or Louisiana better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Louisiana on taxes ($5,867 a year for a median household against $10,423); Louisiana on everyday costs (index 91 against 92); Illinois on safety (413 violent crimes per 100,000 against 587); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 47th).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Louisiana?
Louisiana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 92. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $215K in Louisiana (2024). On state and local taxes Louisiana saves a median household about $4,600 a year.
Does Illinois or Louisiana have lower taxes?
Louisiana. 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 $5,867 in Louisiana ($2,588 income tax, $1,140 property tax on the median home and $2,139 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Louisiana?
Illinois, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 587 in Louisiana; property crime is 1,666 against 2,426.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Louisiana?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Louisiana 47th. Louisiana also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Illinois or Louisiana better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Louisiana does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $4,758 a year in Illinois and $1,140 in Louisiana.