State comparison
Illinois vs North Dakota: which state is better to live in?
North Dakota costs a median household about $6,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because its income tax takes 0.7% of a median income against 5.0% in Illinois, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 98 against 92).
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 5 categories
North Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 98
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs North Dakota
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 Dakota has a graduated income tax topping out at 2.5%, which works out to 0.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $509 a year. North Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 0.88% in North Dakota (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $2,244, so North Dakota has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 6.97% in North Dakota; North Dakota 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, $4,313 in North Dakota. North Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and North Dakota's is 98, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 7% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $255K in North Dakota (Zillow, 2024), a $20K gap in North Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,100 in North Dakota.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $2,200 in North Dakota, so Illinois is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 285 in North Dakota (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); North Dakota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 45% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 1,779 in North Dakota, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 78.8 in North Dakota (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.6-year edge for North Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and North Dakota's 27th, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 7.5% in North Dakota, 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 Dakota's 17th, 1 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 North Dakota went to Trump by 33 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; North Dakota has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and North Dakota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Illinois and banned with narrow exceptions in North Dakota, and marijuana is legal for adults in Illinois and medical only in North Dakota as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Illinois and $7.25 in North Dakota.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in North Dakota (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 25 in North Dakota (under 50 is good), favoring North Dakota.
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
North Dakota
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or North Dakota better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. North Dakota on taxes ($4,313 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 98); North Dakota on safety (285 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 17th).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or North Dakota?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 98. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $255K in North Dakota (2024). On state and local taxes North Dakota saves a median household about $6,100 a year.
Does Illinois or North Dakota have lower taxes?
North Dakota. 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 $4,313 in North Dakota ($509 income tax, $2,244 property tax on the median home and $1,559 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or North Dakota?
North Dakota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 285 in North Dakota; property crime is 1,666 against 1,779.
Which has better schools, Illinois or North Dakota?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and North Dakota 17th.
Is Illinois or North Dakota better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; North Dakota 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 $2,244 in North Dakota.