State comparison
Illinois vs Oregon: which state is better to live in?
Oregon costs a median household about $280 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because it has no sales tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 110 against 92).
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 5 categories
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Oregon
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. Oregon has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.9%, which works out to 8.3% on a median income of $74,580, or $6,207 a year. Illinois wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 0.82% in Oregon (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $3,936, so Oregon has the lower rate.
Oregon 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, $10,143 in Oregon. Oregon is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Oregon's is 110, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 20% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $480K in Oregon (Zillow, 2024), a $205K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,700 in Oregon.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $800 in Oregon, so Oregon is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 302 in Oregon (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Oregon is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 37% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 3,078 in Oregon, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 78 in Oregon (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.8-year edge for Oregon. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Oregon's 14th, so Oregon scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 7.1% in Oregon, which favors Oregon. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois's K-12 schools 16th in the country and Oregon's 21st, 5 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 Oregon went to Harris by 14 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Oregon 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 $14.70 in Oregon.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood), so Illinois is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 50 in Oregon (under 50 is good), favoring Illinois.
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
9
Oregon
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Oregon better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Oregon on taxes ($10,143 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 110); Oregon on safety (302 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 21st).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Oregon?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 110. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $480K in Oregon (2024). On state and local taxes Oregon saves a median household about $280 a year.
Does Illinois or Oregon have lower taxes?
Oregon. 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 $10,143 in Oregon ($6,207 income tax, $3,936 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Oregon?
Oregon, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 302 in Oregon; property crime is 1,666 against 3,078.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Oregon?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Oregon 21st.
Is Illinois or Oregon better for retirees?
Illinois is friendlier to retirees on paper. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Oregon does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $4,758 a year in Illinois and $3,936 in Oregon.