State comparison
Oregon vs Illinois: which state is better to live in?
Oregon costs a median household about $280 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because it has no sales tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 110 against 92).
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 9 categories
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Oregon vs Illinois
Oregon has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.9%, which works out to 8.3% on a median income of $74,580, or $6,207 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. Illinois wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.82% of home value a year in Oregon and 1.73% in Illinois (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,936 against $4,758, so Oregon has the lower rate.
Oregon has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,143 a year in Oregon, $10,423 in Illinois. Oregon is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Oregon's cost of living index is 110 and Illinois's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 20% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $480K in Oregon and $275K in Illinois (Zillow, 2024), a $205K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month in Oregon and $1,400 in Illinois.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Oregon and $1,900 in Illinois, so Oregon is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 302 incidents per 100,000 residents in Oregon and 413 in Illinois (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Oregon is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 37% lower. Property crime is 3,078 per 100,000 in Oregon against 1,666 in Illinois, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 78 years in Oregon and 77.2 in Illinois (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.8-year edge for Oregon. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Oregon's health system 14th of 50 and Illinois's 20th, so Oregon scores better on care.
7.1% of Oregon residents have no health insurance against 7.4% in Illinois, which favors Oregon. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oregon's K-12 schools 21st in the country and Illinois's 16th, 5 places apart in Illinois's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Oregon went to Harris by 14 points and Illinois went to Harris by 14 points.
Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Illinois regulates guns more tightly and Oregon is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.70 an hour in Oregon and $14.00 in Illinois.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood) and moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard), so Illinois is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Oregon and 45 in Illinois (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
9
Oregon
5
Illinois
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Oregon or Illinois better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Oregon on taxes ($10,143 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 110); Oregon on safety (302 violent crimes per 100,000 against 413); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 21st).
Which is cheaper, Oregon or Illinois?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 110. The median home is $480K in Oregon and $275K in Illinois (2024). On state and local taxes Oregon saves a median household about $280 a year.
Does Oregon or Illinois have lower taxes?
Oregon. A household earning $74,580 pays about $10,143 a year in Oregon ($6,207 income tax, $3,936 property tax on the median home and $0 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, Oregon or Illinois?
Oregon, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 302 per 100,000 residents in Oregon and 413 in Illinois; property crime is 3,078 against 1,666.
Which has better schools, Oregon or Illinois?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oregon 21st of 50 for K-12 and Illinois 16th.
Is Oregon or Illinois better for retirees?
Illinois is friendlier to retirees on paper. Oregon does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $3,936 a year in Oregon and $4,758 in Illinois.