State comparison
Illinois vs Tennessee: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $6,700 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because it has no income tax.
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 8 categories
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Tennessee
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. Tennessee has no state income tax. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 0.45% in Tennessee (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $1,575, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 9.55% in Tennessee; Illinois 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, $3,712 in Tennessee. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Tennessee's is 92, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $350K in Tennessee (Zillow, 2024), a $75K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,400 in Tennessee.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $2,000 in Tennessee, so Illinois is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 668 in Tennessee (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Illinois is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 62% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 2,752 in Tennessee, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 74.2 in Tennessee (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.0-year edge for Illinois. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Tennessee's 39th, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 10.4% in Tennessee, which favors Illinois. Illinois expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois's K-12 schools 16th in the country and Tennessee's 41st, 25 places apart in Illinois's favor. Tennessee 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 Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Tennessee has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Tennessee is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Illinois and banned with narrow exceptions in Tennessee, and marijuana is legal for adults in Illinois and illegal in Tennessee as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Illinois and $7.25 in Tennessee.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 36 in Tennessee (under 50 is good), favoring Tennessee.
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
8
Illinois
6
Tennessee
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Tennessee better to live in?
Illinois wins more of the measures that decide a move. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on safety (413 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 41st).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Tennessee?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 92. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $350K in Tennessee (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $6,700 a year.
Does Illinois or Tennessee have lower taxes?
Tennessee. 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 $3,712 in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Tennessee?
Illinois, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 668 in Tennessee; property crime is 1,666 against 2,752.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Tennessee?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Tennessee 41st. Tennessee also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Illinois or Tennessee better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Tennessee does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $4,758 a year in Illinois and $1,575 in Tennessee.