Illinois vs South Carolina

Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more

Illinois

Rank #42

Overall Score

60.8

Category Wins

4/10

South Carolina

Rank #20

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.5

Category Wins

6/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

2.07%

Property Tax

0.57%

93.4

Cost of Living

$9,600

Farm Land $/Acre

$3,100

210 days

Growing Season

250 days

48"

Annual Rainfall

56"

10/10

Soil Quality

6/10

7/10

Safety (Rural)

6/10

3/10

Gun Friendly

8/10

4.2 hrs

Solar (PSH)

4.5 hrs

90%

Broadband

79%

South Carolina Edges Out Illinois Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.5 vs 60.8, South Carolina comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 6 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: South Carolina offers cheaper farmland at $3,100/acre vs $9,600/acre. South Carolina has a longer growing season (250 vs 210 days). South Carolina has lower property taxes (0.57% vs 2.07%).

Scroll down to the full comparison table for a deep dive into every metric, or use our ranking tool to weight these factors by what matters most to you.

Full Data Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of selected states across homesteading metrics
Data Point	Illinois IL	South Carolina SC
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.95%	5.21%
	8.82%	7.5%
	2.07%	0.57%
	93.4	96
Land & Building
	$9,600	$3,100
	Yes (Statewide)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly common
Climate & Growing
	5a-7a	7b-9a
	210	250
	48"	56"
	10	6
	3	4
	6	4
Water & Energy
	Unrestricted	Permitted
	4.2	4.5
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	3	8
	Strong	Strong
	No	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	425	506
	35%	50%
Demographics & Community
	225.7	165
	12%	35%
	90%	79%
Business
	#36	#24
	$150/yr	$110/yr
	4.5%	3.6%

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