State comparison
Arizona vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Arizona costs a median household about $2,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because its income tax takes 2.5% of a median income against 5.4% in Virginia.
Arizona
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 4 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Arizona vs Virginia
Arizona has a flat 2.5% income tax, which works out to 2.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,865 a year. Virginia has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.75%, which works out to 5.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,031 a year. Arizona wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.51% of home value a year in Arizona and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,142 against $2,886, so Arizona has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.37% in Arizona and 5.73% in Virginia; Virginia is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,879 a year in Arizona, $8,199 in Virginia. Arizona is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arizona's cost of living index is 102 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $420K in Arizona and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $30K gap in Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Arizona and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $1,850 a year in Arizona and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 474 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 141% lower. Property crime is 2,624 per 100,000 in Arizona against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.3 years in Arizona and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.6-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arizona's health system 34th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
10.8% of Arizona residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, which favors Virginia. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona's K-12 schools 45th in the country and Virginia's 10th, 35 places apart in Virginia's favor. Arizona runs a school-choice voucher program; Virginia does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arizona went to Trump by 5 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Arizona has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Virginia regulates guns more tightly and Arizona is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Arizona and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.35 an hour in Arizona and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Arizona (wildfire, extreme-heat, drought) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 46 in Arizona and 37 in Virginia (under 50 is good), favoring Virginia.
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
4
Arizona
9
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arizona or Virginia better to live in?
Virginia wins more of the measures that decide a move. Arizona on taxes ($5,879 a year for a median household against $8,199); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 474); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 45th).
Which is cheaper, Arizona or Virginia?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 102. The median home is $420K in Arizona and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Arizona saves a median household about $2,300 a year.
Does Arizona or Virginia have lower taxes?
Arizona. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,879 a year in Arizona ($1,865 income tax, $2,142 property tax on the median home and $1,873 in sales tax) and $8,199 in Virginia ($4,031 income tax, $2,886 property tax on the median home and $1,282 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arizona or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 474 per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 2,624 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Arizona or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona 45th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th. Arizona also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Arizona or Virginia better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Arizona does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Virginia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,142 a year in Arizona and $2,886 in Virginia.