State comparison
North Dakota vs Illinois: which state is better to live in?
North Dakota costs a median household about $6,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because its income tax takes 0.7% of a median income against 5.0% in Illinois, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 98 against 92).
North Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 98
Wins 10 categories
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: North Dakota vs Illinois
North Dakota has a graduated income tax topping out at 2.5%, which works out to 0.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $509 a year. 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. North Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.88% of home value a year in North Dakota and 1.73% in Illinois (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,244 against $4,758, so North Dakota has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.97% in North Dakota and 8.82% in Illinois; North Dakota is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $4,313 a year in North Dakota, $10,423 in Illinois. North Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
North Dakota's cost of living index is 98 and Illinois's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 7% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $255K in North Dakota and $275K in Illinois (Zillow, 2024), a $20K gap in North Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in North Dakota and $1,400 in Illinois.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in North Dakota and $1,900 in Illinois, so Illinois is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 285 incidents per 100,000 residents in North Dakota and 413 in Illinois (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); North Dakota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 45% lower. Property crime is 1,779 per 100,000 in North Dakota against 1,666 in Illinois, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in North Dakota and 77.2 in Illinois (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.6-year edge for North Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks North Dakota's health system 27th of 50 and Illinois's 20th, so Illinois scores better on care.
7.5% of North Dakota residents have no health insurance against 7.4% in Illinois, which favors Illinois. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Dakota's K-12 schools 17th in the country and Illinois's 16th, 1 places apart in Illinois's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election North Dakota went to Trump by 33 points and Illinois went to Harris by 14 points.
North Dakota has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and North Dakota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in North Dakota and protected by state law in Illinois, and marijuana is medical only in North Dakota and legal for adults in Illinois as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in North Dakota and $14.00 in Illinois.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in North Dakota (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 25 in North Dakota and 45 in Illinois (under 50 is good), favoring North Dakota.
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
10
North Dakota
5
Illinois
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is North Dakota or Illinois better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. North Dakota on taxes ($4,313 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 98); North Dakota on safety (285 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 17th).
Which is cheaper, North Dakota or Illinois?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 98. The median home is $255K in North Dakota and $275K in Illinois (2024). On state and local taxes North Dakota saves a median household about $6,100 a year.
Does North Dakota or Illinois have lower taxes?
North Dakota. A household earning $74,580 pays about $4,313 a year in North Dakota ($509 income tax, $2,244 property tax on the median home and $1,559 in sales tax) and $10,423 in Illinois ($3,692 income tax, $4,758 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, North Dakota or Illinois?
North Dakota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 285 per 100,000 residents in North Dakota and 413 in Illinois; property crime is 1,779 against 1,666.
Which has better schools, North Dakota or Illinois?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Dakota 17th of 50 for K-12 and Illinois 16th.
Is North Dakota or Illinois better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. North Dakota does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,244 a year in North Dakota and $4,758 in Illinois.