State comparison
Illinois vs Wisconsin: which state is better to live in?
Wisconsin costs a median household about $1,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because its combined sales tax is 5.43% against 8.82%.
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 3 categories
Wisconsin
Moderate tax burden · COL index 93
Wins 12 categories
Taxes: Illinois vs Wisconsin
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. Wisconsin has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.65%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,349 a year. Wisconsin wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.73% of home value a year in Illinois and 1.51% in Wisconsin (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,758 against $4,304, so Wisconsin has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois and 5.43% in Wisconsin; Wisconsin 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, $8,868 in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Illinois's cost of living index is 92 and Wisconsin's is 93, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $275K in Illinois and $285K in Wisconsin (Zillow, 2024), a $10K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Illinois and $1,200 in Wisconsin.
Home insurance averages $1,900 a year in Illinois and $1,100 in Wisconsin, so Wisconsin is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 413 incidents per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 295 in Wisconsin (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wisconsin is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 40% lower. Property crime is 1,666 per 100,000 in Illinois against 1,787 in Wisconsin, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.2 years in Illinois and 78.1 in Wisconsin (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.9-year edge for Wisconsin. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Illinois's health system 20th of 50 and Wisconsin's 8th, so Wisconsin scores better on care.
7.4% of Illinois residents have no health insurance against 5.7% in Wisconsin, which favors Wisconsin. Illinois expanded Medicaid and Wisconsin did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois's K-12 schools 16th in the country and Wisconsin's 11th, 5 places apart in Wisconsin's favor. Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin was a swing state decided by 1 points.
Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Wisconsin has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of F, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Wisconsin is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Illinois and legal with limits in Wisconsin, and marijuana is legal for adults in Illinois and illegal in Wisconsin as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.00 an hour in Illinois and $7.25 in Wisconsin.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Wisconsin (blizzard, tornado, flood). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Illinois and 34 in Wisconsin (under 50 is good), favoring Wisconsin.
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
3
Illinois
12
Wisconsin
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Illinois or Wisconsin better to live in?
Wisconsin wins more of the measures that decide a move. Wisconsin on taxes ($8,868 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 93); Wisconsin on safety (295 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Wisconsin on schools (ranked 11th against 16th).
Which is cheaper, Illinois or Wisconsin?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 93. The median home is $275K in Illinois and $285K in Wisconsin (2024). On state and local taxes Wisconsin saves a median household about $1,600 a year.
Does Illinois or Wisconsin have lower taxes?
Wisconsin. 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 $8,868 in Wisconsin ($3,349 income tax, $4,304 property tax on the median home and $1,215 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Illinois or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 413 per 100,000 residents in Illinois and 295 in Wisconsin; property crime is 1,666 against 1,787.
Which has better schools, Illinois or Wisconsin?
Wisconsin. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Illinois 16th of 50 for K-12 and Wisconsin 11th. Wisconsin also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Illinois or Wisconsin better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Wisconsin 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 $4,304 in Wisconsin.