State comparison
Illinois vs Ohio: which state is better to live in?
Ohio costs a median household about $4,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because its income tax takes 1.8% of a median income against 5.0% in Illinois.
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 3 categories
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 12 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Ohio
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. Ohio has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.5%, which works out to 1.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,335 a year. Ohio wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 1.37% in Ohio (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $3,220, so Ohio has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 7.22% in Ohio; Ohio 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, $6,169 in Ohio. Ohio is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Ohio's is 88, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $235K in Ohio (Zillow, 2024), a $40K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,050 in Ohio.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $1,200 in Ohio, so Ohio is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 303 in Ohio (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Ohio is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 36% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 2,081 in Ohio, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 75.4 in Ohio (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.8-year edge for Illinois. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Ohio's 22nd, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Ohio, which favors Ohio. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois's K-12 schools 16th in the country and Ohio's 28th, 12 places apart in Illinois's favor. Ohio 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 Ohio went to Trump by 12 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Ohio 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 $10.45 in Ohio.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 45 in Ohio (under 50 is good).
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
3
Illinois
12
Ohio
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Ohio better to live in?
Ohio wins more of the measures that decide a move. Ohio on taxes ($6,169 a year for a median household against $10,423); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 92); Ohio on safety (303 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 28th).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Ohio?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 92. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $235K in Ohio (2024). On state and local taxes Ohio saves a median household about $4,300 a year.
Does Illinois or Ohio have lower taxes?
Ohio. 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 $6,169 in Ohio ($1,335 income tax, $3,220 property tax on the median home and $1,615 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Ohio?
Ohio, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 303 in Ohio; property crime is 1,666 against 2,081.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Ohio?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Ohio 28th. Ohio also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Illinois or Ohio better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Ohio 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 $3,220 in Ohio.