California
High tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 9 categories
California's top income tax rate is 13.3% vs Virginia's 5.75%. Cost of living in California (index 142) runs 39% higher than Virginia (index 102). The median home in California costs $790K vs $390K in Virginia.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
4
California
9
Virginia
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Looking at San Francisco as a representative of California, we can see that the sunny state's cost of living is 45% higher than Virginia. Home prices are 246% more and the gas you'll need to get around is 32% more. Healthcare is also more expensive in California: about 27% higher.