State comparison
Illinois vs Montana: which state is better to live in?
Montana costs a median household about $3,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,610 a year against $4,758 in Illinois, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 104 against 92).
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 9 categories
Montana
Low tax burden · COL index 104
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Montana
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. Montana has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.9%, which works out to 5.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,400 a year. Illinois wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 0.58% in Montana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $2,610, so Montana has the lower rate.
Montana has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,423 a year in Illinois, $7,010 in Montana. Montana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Montana's is 104, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 13% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $450K in Montana (Zillow, 2024), a $175K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,450 in Montana.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $1,500 in Montana, so Montana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 398 in Montana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Montana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 4% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 2,298 in Montana, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 76.5 in Montana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.7-year edge for Illinois. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Montana's 30th, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 9.2% in Montana, 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 Montana's 22nd, 6 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 Montana went to Trump by 13 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Montana has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Montana 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 $10.30 in Montana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Montana (wildfire, blizzard, drought). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 28 in Montana (under 50 is good), favoring Montana.
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
9
Illinois
8
Montana
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Montana better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Montana on taxes ($7,010 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 104); Montana on safety (398 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 22nd).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Montana?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 104. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $450K in Montana (2024). On state and local taxes Montana saves a median household about $3,400 a year.
Does Illinois or Montana have lower taxes?
Montana. 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 $7,010 in Montana ($4,400 income tax, $2,610 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Montana?
Montana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 398 in Montana; property crime is 1,666 against 2,298.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Montana?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Montana 22nd.
Is Illinois or Montana better for retirees?
Illinois is friendlier to retirees on paper. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Montana 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 $2,610 in Montana.