State comparison
California vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Virginia costs a median household about $2,800 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,886 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: California vs Virginia
California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 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. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $2,886, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California 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: $10,957 a year in California, $8,199 in Virginia. Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Virginia is about 39% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $400K gap in Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 153% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.3-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, which favors California. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Virginia's 10th, 10 places apart in Virginia's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election California went to Harris by 20 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so California regulates guns more tightly and Virginia is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in California and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter), so Virginia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California 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
California
10
Virginia
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or Virginia better to live in?
Virginia wins more of the measures that decide a move. Virginia on taxes ($8,199 a year for a median household against $10,957); Virginia on everyday costs (index 102 against 142); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, California or Virginia?
Virginia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Virginia saves a median household about $2,800 a year.
Does California or Virginia have lower taxes?
Virginia. A household earning $74,580 pays about $10,957 a year in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 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, California or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 2,027 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, California or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th.
Is California or Virginia better for retirees?
Virginia is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income 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 $5,609 a year in California and $2,886 in Virginia.