State comparison
Illinois vs Minnesota: which state is better to live in?
Minnesota costs a median household about $760 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $3,417 a year against $4,758 in Illinois, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 95 against 92).
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 5 categories
Minnesota
High tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Minnesota
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. Minnesota has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.85%, which works out to 6.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,588 a year. Illinois wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 1.02% in Minnesota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $3,417, so Minnesota has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 7.42% in Minnesota; Minnesota 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, $9,666 in Minnesota. Minnesota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Minnesota's is 95, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $335K in Minnesota (Zillow, 2024), a $60K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,450 in Minnesota.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $1,700 in Minnesota, so Minnesota is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 286 in Minnesota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Minnesota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 44% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 2,094 in Minnesota, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 79.4 in Minnesota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.2-year edge for Minnesota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Minnesota's 2nd, so Minnesota scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 4.5% in Minnesota, which favors Minnesota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois's K-12 schools 16th in the country and Minnesota's 8th, 8 places apart in Minnesota'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 Minnesota went to Harris by 4 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Minnesota has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of B, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Minnesota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
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 $10.85 in Minnesota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Minnesota (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 32 in Minnesota (under 50 is good), favoring Minnesota.
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
Illinois
10
Minnesota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Minnesota better to live in?
Minnesota wins more of the measures that decide a move. Minnesota on taxes ($9,666 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 95); Minnesota on safety (286 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Minnesota on schools (ranked 8th against 16th).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Minnesota?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 95. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $335K in Minnesota (2024). On state and local taxes Minnesota saves a median household about $760 a year.
Does Illinois or Minnesota have lower taxes?
Minnesota. 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 $9,666 in Minnesota ($4,588 income tax, $3,417 property tax on the median home and $1,660 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Minnesota?
Minnesota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 286 in Minnesota; property crime is 1,666 against 2,094.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Minnesota?
Minnesota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Minnesota 8th.
Is Illinois or Minnesota better for retirees?
Illinois is friendlier to retirees on paper. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Minnesota taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $4,758 a year in Illinois and $3,417 in Minnesota.