State comparison
Illinois vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $6,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 92).
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 8 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Nevada
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. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 8.23% in Nevada; Nevada 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, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 10% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $140K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Illinois is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 44% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.7-year edge for Illinois. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, 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 Nevada's 48th, 32 places apart in Illinois's favor. Nevada 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 Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Nevada 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 $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 40 in Nevada (under 50 is good), favoring Nevada.
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
8
Illinois
8
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Nevada better to live in?
Illinois wins more of the measures that decide a move. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 101); Illinois on safety (413 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Nevada?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 101. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $6,400 a year.
Does Illinois or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. 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 $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Nevada?
Illinois, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,666 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Nevada?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Illinois or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $4,758 a year in Illinois and $2,200 in Nevada.