State comparison
Utah vs Illinois: 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).
Utah
Moderate tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 9 categories
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Utah vs Illinois
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. 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 wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.44% of home value a year in Utah and 1.73% in Illinois (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $4,758, so Utah has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.19% in Utah and 8.82% in Illinois; Utah is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,128 a year in Utah, $10,423 in Illinois. Utah is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Utah's cost of living index is 101 and Illinois's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 10% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $500K in Utah and $275K in Illinois (Zillow, 2024), a $225K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,650 a month in Utah and $1,400 in Illinois.
Home insurance averages $900 a year in Utah and $1,900 in Illinois, so Utah is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 237 incidents per 100,000 residents in Utah and 413 in Illinois (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Utah is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 74% lower. Property crime is 2,280 per 100,000 in Utah against 1,666 in Illinois, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in Utah and 77.2 in Illinois (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.0-year edge for Utah. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Utah's health system 31st of 50 and Illinois's 20th, so Illinois scores better on care.
9.8% of Utah 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 Utah's K-12 schools 37th in the country and Illinois's 16th, 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 Utah went to Trump by 13 points and Illinois went to Harris by 14 points.
Utah 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 Utah is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Utah and protected by state law in Illinois, and marijuana is medical only in Utah and legal for adults in Illinois as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Utah and $14.00 in Illinois.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Utah (drought, wildfire, earthquake) and moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 55 in Utah 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
Utah
7
Illinois
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Utah or Illinois 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, Utah or Illinois?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 101. The median home is $500K in Utah and $275K in Illinois (2024). On state and local taxes Utah saves a median household about $3,300 a year.
Does Utah or Illinois have lower taxes?
Utah. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,128 a year in Utah ($3,319 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,609 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, Utah or Illinois?
Utah, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 237 per 100,000 residents in Utah and 413 in Illinois; property crime is 2,280 against 1,666.
Which has better schools, Utah or Illinois?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Utah 37th of 50 for K-12 and Illinois 16th. Utah also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Utah or Illinois better for retirees?
Illinois is friendlier to retirees on paper. Utah taxes 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 $2,200 a year in Utah and $4,758 in Illinois.