State comparison
Illinois vs Utah: which state is better to live in?
Utah costs a median household about $3,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,200 a year against $4,758 in Illinois, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 101 against 92).
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 7 categories
Utah
Moderate tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Utah
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. Utah has a flat 4.65% income tax, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,319 a year. Utah wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 0.44% in Utah (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $2,200, so Utah has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 7.19% in Utah; Utah 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, $7,128 in Utah. Utah is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Utah's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 10% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $500K in Utah (Zillow, 2024), a $225K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,650 in Utah.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $900 in Utah, so Utah is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 237 in Utah (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Utah is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 74% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 2,280 in Utah, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 79.2 in Utah (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.0-year edge for Utah. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Utah's 31st, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 9.8% in Utah, which favors Illinois. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois's K-12 schools 16th in the country and Utah's 37th, 21 places apart in Illinois's favor. Utah 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 Utah went to Trump by 13 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Utah has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Utah is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Illinois and banned with narrow exceptions in Utah, and marijuana is legal for adults in Illinois and medical only in Utah as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Illinois and $7.25 in Utah.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Utah (drought, wildfire, earthquake). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 55 in Utah (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
7
Illinois
9
Utah
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Utah better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Utah on taxes ($7,128 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 101); Utah on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 37th).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Utah?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 101. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $500K in Utah (2024). On state and local taxes Utah saves a median household about $3,300 a year.
Does Illinois or Utah have lower taxes?
Utah. 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 $7,128 in Utah ($3,319 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,609 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Utah?
Utah, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 237 in Utah; property crime is 1,666 against 2,280.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Utah?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Utah 37th. Utah also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Illinois or Utah better for retirees?
Illinois is friendlier to retirees on paper. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Utah taxes 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 $2,200 in Utah.