State comparison
Illinois vs North Carolina: which state is better to live in?
North Carolina costs a median household about $3,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,345 a year against $4,758 in Illinois.
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 7 categories
North Carolina
Moderate tax burden · COL index 94
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs North Carolina
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. North Carolina has a flat 4.5% income tax, which works out to 4.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,976 a year. North Carolina wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 0.70% in North Carolina (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $2,345, so North Carolina has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 7.00% in North Carolina; North Carolina 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, $6,887 in North Carolina. North Carolina is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and North Carolina's is 94, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 2% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $335K in North Carolina (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 North Carolina.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $1,900 in North Carolina.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 398 in North Carolina (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); North Carolina is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 4% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 2,226 in North Carolina, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 75.7 in North Carolina (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.5-year edge for Illinois. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and North Carolina's 23rd, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 11.8% in North Carolina, 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 North Carolina's 29th, 13 places apart in Illinois's favor. North Carolina 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 North Carolina went to Trump by 3 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; North Carolina has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and North Carolina is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Illinois and legal with limits in North Carolina, and marijuana is legal for adults in Illinois and illegal in North Carolina as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Illinois and $7.25 in North Carolina.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and high in North Carolina (hurricane, tornado, flood), so Illinois is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 36 in North Carolina (under 50 is good), favoring North Carolina.
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
7
North Carolina
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or North Carolina better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. North Carolina on taxes ($6,887 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 94); North Carolina on safety (398 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 29th).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or North Carolina?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 94. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $335K in North Carolina (2024). On state and local taxes North Carolina saves a median household about $3,500 a year.
Does Illinois or North Carolina have lower taxes?
North Carolina. 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 $6,887 in North Carolina ($2,976 income tax, $2,345 property tax on the median home and $1,566 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or North Carolina?
North Carolina, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 398 in North Carolina; property crime is 1,666 against 2,226.
Which has better schools, Illinois or North Carolina?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and North Carolina 29th. North Carolina also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Illinois or North Carolina better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; North Carolina 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 $2,345 in North Carolina.