State comparison
Illinois vs Texas: which state is better to live in?
Texas costs a median household about $3,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 97 against 92).
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 9 categories
Texas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Texas
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. Texas has no state income tax. Texas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 1.60% in Texas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $5,440, so Texas has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 8.19% in Texas; Texas 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, $7,272 in Texas. Texas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Texas'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 $340K in Texas (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,600 in Texas.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $3,200 in Texas, so Illinois is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 447 in Texas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Illinois is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 8% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 2,478 in Texas, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 76.3 in Texas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.9-year edge for Illinois. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Texas's 36th, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 18.4% in Texas, which favors Illinois. Illinois expanded Medicaid and Texas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois's K-12 schools 16th in the country and Texas's 36th, 20 places apart in Illinois's favor. Texas 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 Texas went to Trump by 14 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Texas has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Texas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Illinois and banned with narrow exceptions in Texas, and marijuana is legal for adults in Illinois and medical only in Texas as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Illinois and $7.25 in Texas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and very high in Texas (hurricane, tornado, flood), so Illinois is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 43 in Texas (under 50 is good), favoring Texas.
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
9
Illinois
6
Texas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Texas better to live in?
Illinois wins more of the measures that decide a move. Texas on taxes ($7,272 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 97); Illinois on safety (413 violent crimes per 100,000 against 447); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 36th).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Texas?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 97. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $340K in Texas (2024). On state and local taxes Texas saves a median household about $3,200 a year.
Does Illinois or Texas have lower taxes?
Texas. 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 $7,272 in Texas ($0 income tax, $5,440 property tax on the median home and $1,832 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Texas?
Illinois, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 447 in Texas; property crime is 1,666 against 2,478.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Texas?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Texas 36th. Texas also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Illinois or Texas better for retirees?
Texas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Texas 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 $5,440 in Texas.