Thinking of moving from Illinois to Florida? Chicago to Nashville? California to Phoenix? This tool calculates the actual property tax bill on a hypothetical home in any two counties we cover — applying each state's real homestead exemptions, assessment caps, and equalization factors — so you can see the annual difference at a glance.
Pick one county from each side. The calculator applies each state's actual tax law to the home value you enter and shows the difference side by side.
Pick two states. We'll show the average effective property tax rate, what a $400K home would cost in annual tax, and the editorial pros/cons of each — drawn from each state's full almanac entry.
A $400,000 home produces wildly different annual bills depending on which state and county you're in. Three examples to show the range. See all 42 states ranked →
Effective rate = annual tax bill divided by home market value. These are medians across the counties we cover — which skew toward urban/suburban counties with the largest populations. Rural counties often have substantially lower rates. See full rankings of all 42 states →
These are the searches we see most often — pre-configured so you can jump straight to the numbers.
Illinois lost a net 82,900 residents to other states in 2024, according to the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The state has ranked among the worst three in the country for net domestic migration every year since 2014, alongside California and New York. Illinois lost the most residents to Florida (11,659), Indiana (11,629), Wisconsin (9,914), Missouri (7,470), and Tennessee (6,874) — all lower-tax states. In total, approximately 95% of Illinois out-migrants moved to states with lower combined tax burdens.
Florida is the #1 destination for Illinois out-migrants and the top net-migration state in the country overall. Homeowners benefit from no state income tax, a $50,000+ homestead exemption (now CPI-indexed under Amendment 5), and the Save Our Homes 3% cap on assessed value growth. Texas is #2 nationally — no state income tax, a $100,000 school-district homestead exemption, and newer housing stock in its growing metros. Tennessee attracts movers with no state income tax and low effective property tax rates, though with no state homestead exemption (its 25% residential assessment ratio is the entire story). Arizona's Maricopa County was the #1 US county for net migration in 2023, helped by the 1% constitutional cap on primary property tax and Proposition 117's 5% annual cap on Limited Property Value growth. North Carolina ranked #2 nationally in net domestic migration in 2024, behind only Texas, with Charlotte and Raleigh among the fastest-growing metros in the US.
By contrast, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa are included here as cautionary points of comparison. Wisconsin's effective property tax rate (1.59% statewide median, with Milwaukee approaching 2.24%) is among the highest in the country and is a primary driver of out-migration to Texas and Florida. Michigan's effective rate is similar (1.18% state median, with Wayne County approaching 1.86% — the highest single-county rate in our coverage), but the math is shaped by Proposal A's 5%/IRM cap on Taxable Value growth — long-term owners benefit dramatically while new buyers face the "pop-up" reset that can produce 50-100%+ tax increases relative to the seller's bill (HB 5872-80, introduced April 2026, would eliminate this). Iowa sits at roughly a 1.50% state median, but Polk (Des Moines, 1.85%) and Johnson (Iowa City, 1.95%) approach the highest tier, and the state is actively losing population to Texas and Florida — driving an ongoing legislative reform debate. For Chicago retirees considering Lake Geneva (WI), Traverse City (MI), or the Iowa Driftless area instead of Florida, the property tax math is one of the bigger trade-offs to model — and for new arrivals to any of these three states, understanding the cap-vs-pop-up-vs-rollback dynamics before closing is essential.
California sits in a different category from every other state in this almanac. Its statewide median effective property tax rate of just 0.71% looks strikingly low — until you realize the rate is dragged down by the famous Proposition 13 disparity. New California buyers actually pay 1.10-1.30% of their full purchase price in nominal property tax — comparable to Texas or Florida in dollar terms when applied to California's much higher home values. The under-1% effective rate that shows up in nationwide rankings reflects the fact that long-term California owners (those who bought before 2000, in particular) pay tax on Factored Base Year Values that are typically 30-70% below current market value. For someone moving INTO California from Illinois, Wisconsin, or another high-rate state, the property tax savings can be illusory — your purchase resets the FBYV to the full market price, and Prop 13's 2% growth cap helps less when the underlying base is already $1.2M. Conversely, for Californians moving OUT of state to Texas, Arizona, Nevada, or Tennessee, the calculation is dominated by the loss of decades of accumulated Prop 13 protection — long-term owners often face higher absolute property tax bills in their new state despite that state's lower rates. The Prop 19 (2020) base-year-value transfer rules let 55+ homeowners and disabled homeowners take their FBYV with them anywhere in California, making in-state moves much cheaper than out-of-state ones for retirees.
For Illinois residents moving across state lines, Indiana is the most common destination for the Chicago metro area specifically. The Lake County, Indiana communities of Hammond, Munster, Schererville, and Crown Point have absorbed large numbers of former Cook County residents who kept jobs in Chicago but gained the benefit of Indiana's 1% constitutional cap on homestead property tax. Indiana's combination of low home values, the 1% circuit-breaker cap, and commutable access to Chicago makes it uniquely attractive for short-distance moves.
Polls from NPR Illinois and the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute have consistently found that property taxes are the single largest factor Illinoisans cite when considering leaving the state. But a move isn't just about the property tax rate. Texas and Florida have similar nominal rates to Illinois, but homes are valued differently (Florida's SOH cap helps long-term owners; Texas's homestead $100K is front-loaded). Tennessee has low overall rates but no homestead protection, so year-one bills can be surprisingly high. Arizona's 10% assessment ratio on primary residences means its nominal rates look much higher than its effective rates. The comparison tool above lets you enter your actual home value and see exactly what the difference would be for any specific pair of counties you're considering.
Data sources: US Census Bureau American Community Survey (state-to-state migration, 2024), Tax Foundation (State Migration Trends 2024, Americans Moved to Low-Tax States in 2024), Paul Simon Public Policy Institute (Illinois resident surveys), Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity (county population estimates), individual state departments of revenue and county assessors.
This calculator applies each state's actual property tax calculation to the home value you enter:
Rates shown reflect the primary taxing district of each county's seat. Your actual bill will vary by neighborhood, school district, and local special taxing units (MUDs in Texas, community development districts in Florida, fire districts in Arizona, etc.). This tool is for directional comparison — always confirm the specific district rates for any home you're seriously considering.
About this site's data and estimates. The Property Tax Almanac is an independent editorial reference. It is not affiliated with any government agency, tax assessor, or tax preparation service. The calculators and data on this site are informational and are not a substitute for advice from a qualified tax professional, attorney, or your official county assessor or appraisal district.
Accuracy, sources, and scope. Tax rate data is compiled from publicly available sources — including the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, the Illinois Department of Revenue, the Florida Department of Revenue, the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, the Arizona Department of Revenue, the North Carolina Department of Revenue, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, the Michigan Department of Treasury, the Iowa Department of Revenue and Iowa Department of Management, the Minnesota Department of Revenue, the California State Board of Equalization, individual county appraisal and assessor offices, and the US Census Bureau — and is believed to be accurate as of the "revised" date shown on each page. Rates change annually (and sometimes mid-year) through local budget adoptions, legislative action, and voter-approved measures. Rates displayed reflect the primary tax district of the county seat; rates in other cities, school districts, Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs), Emergency Services Districts (ESDs), Mello-Roos Community Facilities Districts (CFDs), and special taxing units within the same county may be meaningfully higher or lower. Census population figures are from the 2020 Decennial Census and are rounded to the nearest 100.
How to use these estimates. The calculator produces a rough estimate based on the county seat's combined rate, statutory deductions and exemptions available statewide, and the value you enter. Your actual bill depends on your specific parcel's assessed or appraised value, the exact taxing entities covering your address, any local-option exemptions you qualify for, any assessment caps or circuit-breaker protections (e.g., Florida's Save Our Homes, Arizona's Prop 117 LPV cap, Indiana's 1% circuit breaker, North Carolina's Elderly/Disabled Exclusion, Wisconsin's Lottery & Gaming Credit, Michigan's Proposal A 5%/IRM cap, Iowa's residential rollback, Minnesota's Homestead Market Value Exclusion, California's Proposition 13 acquisition-value system and 2% annual cap), and any appeal or protest outcomes. For an authoritative figure, consult your county appraisal district (Texas), county assessor (Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Arizona, North Carolina, Iowa, Minnesota, California), county property appraiser (Florida), or municipal/township assessor (Wisconsin and Michigan — assessments are set at the city/village/township level rather than the county level; some Iowa and Minnesota cities also have city-level assessors). The contact information for the primary authority in each county is listed at the top of that county's page.
No legal or tax advice; no warranty. Nothing on this site constitutes legal, tax, financial, investment, or real estate advice. The Property Tax Almanac, its authors, and its publisher make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability of the content on this site. Any reliance you place on the information is strictly at your own risk. We are not liable for any loss or damage — including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage — arising from the use of this site or from decisions made based on its content.
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