State comparison
Illinois vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Virginia costs a median household about $2,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,886 a year against $4,758 in Illinois, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 102 against 92).
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 5 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Virginia
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. Virginia has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.75%, which works out to 5.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,031 a year. Illinois wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $2,886, so Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 5.73% in Virginia; Virginia 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, $8,199 in Virginia. Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 11% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $115K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 110% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.7-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, 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 Virginia's 10th, 6 places apart in Virginia'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 Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Virginia is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Illinois and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Illinois and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 37 in Virginia (under 50 is good), favoring Virginia.
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
10
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Virginia better to live in?
Virginia wins more of the measures that decide a move. Virginia on taxes ($8,199 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 16th).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Virginia?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 102. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Virginia saves a median household about $2,200 a year.
Does Illinois or Virginia have lower taxes?
Virginia. 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 $8,199 in Virginia ($4,031 income tax, $2,886 property tax on the median home and $1,282 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 1,666 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th.
Is Illinois or Virginia better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Virginia does not tax 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 $2,886 in Virginia.