State comparison
Illinois vs Missouri: which state is better to live in?
Missouri costs a median household about $3,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,112 a year against $4,758 in Illinois.
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 7 categories
Missouri
Moderate tax burden · COL index 86
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Missouri
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. Missouri has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.7%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,325 a year. Missouri wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 0.88% in Missouri (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $2,112, so Missouri has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 8.33% in Missouri; Missouri 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, $7,300 in Missouri. Missouri is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Missouri's is 86, where 100 is the national average; Missouri is about 7% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $240K in Missouri (Zillow, 2024), a $35K gap in Missouri's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,100 in Missouri.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $2,200 in Missouri, so Illinois is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 581 in Missouri (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Illinois is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 41% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 2,695 in Missouri, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 75.3 in Missouri (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.9-year edge for Illinois. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Missouri's 43rd, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 8.2% in Missouri, 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 Missouri's 33rd, 17 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 Missouri went to Trump by 19 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Missouri has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Missouri is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Illinois and banned with narrow exceptions in Missouri, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Illinois and $12.30 in Missouri.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and high in Missouri (tornado, flood, ice-storm), so Illinois is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 38 in Missouri (under 50 is good), favoring Missouri.
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
7
Illinois
9
Missouri
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Missouri better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Missouri on taxes ($7,300 a year for a median household against $10,423); Missouri on everyday costs (index 86 against 92); Illinois on safety (413 violent crimes per 100,000 against 581); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 33rd).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Missouri?
Missouri is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 86 against 92. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $240K in Missouri (2024). On state and local taxes Missouri saves a median household about $3,100 a year.
Does Illinois or Missouri have lower taxes?
Missouri. 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 $7,300 in Missouri ($3,325 income tax, $2,112 property tax on the median home and $1,864 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Missouri?
Illinois, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 581 in Missouri; property crime is 1,666 against 2,695.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Missouri?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Missouri 33rd.
Is Illinois or Missouri better for retirees?
Illinois is friendlier to retirees on paper. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Missouri taxes 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 $2,112 in Missouri.