State comparison
Illinois vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
Pennsylvania costs a median household about $2,900 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because its income tax takes 3.1% of a median income against 5.0% in Illinois, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 97 against 92).
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 4 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Pennsylvania
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. Pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% income tax, which works out to 3.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,290 a year. Pennsylvania wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $3,861, so Pennsylvania has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 6.34% in Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania 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, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $5K gap in Pennsylvania's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 305 in Pennsylvania (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Pennsylvania is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 35% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.1-year edge for Illinois. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Pennsylvania, which favors Pennsylvania. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois's K-12 schools 16th in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 7 places apart in Illinois's favor. Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Pennsylvania is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in Illinois and medical only in Pennsylvania as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Illinois and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 47 in Pennsylvania (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
4
Illinois
11
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Pennsylvania better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Pennsylvania on taxes ($7,569 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 97); Pennsylvania on safety (305 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 23rd).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Pennsylvania?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 97. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes Pennsylvania saves a median household about $2,900 a year.
Does Illinois or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
Pennsylvania. 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 $7,569 in Pennsylvania ($2,290 income tax, $3,861 property tax on the median home and $1,419 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 1,666 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Pennsylvania?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd. Pennsylvania also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Illinois or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $4,758 a year in Illinois and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.