State comparison
Maryland vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Virginia costs a median household about $710 a year less in state and local taxes than Maryland, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,886 a year against $4,074 in Maryland.
Maryland
High tax burden · COL index 116
Wins 3 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Maryland vs Virginia
Maryland has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.75%, which works out to 4.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,490 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. Maryland wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.97% of home value a year in Maryland and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $4,074 against $2,886, so Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.00% in Maryland 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: $8,906 a year in Maryland, $8,199 in Virginia. Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Maryland's cost of living index is 116 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Virginia is about 14% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $420K in Maryland and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $30K gap in Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,950 a month in Maryland and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Maryland and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 468 incidents per 100,000 residents in Maryland and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 138% lower. Property crime is 1,734 per 100,000 in Maryland against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.4 years in Maryland and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.5-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Maryland's health system 12th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Maryland scores better on care.
6.5% of Maryland residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, which favors Maryland. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maryland's K-12 schools 4th in the country and Virginia's 10th, 6 places apart in Maryland's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Maryland went to Harris by 24 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Maryland 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 Maryland regulates guns more tightly and Virginia is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Maryland and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.00 an hour in Maryland and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Maryland (hurricane, flood) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Maryland 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
3
Maryland
11
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Maryland 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 $8,906); Virginia on everyday costs (index 102 against 116); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 468); Maryland on schools (ranked 4th against 10th).
Which is cheaper, Maryland or Virginia?
Virginia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 116. The median home is $420K in Maryland and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Virginia saves a median household about $710 a year.
Does Maryland or Virginia have lower taxes?
Virginia. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,906 a year in Maryland ($3,490 income tax, $4,074 property tax on the median home and $1,342 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, Maryland or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 468 per 100,000 residents in Maryland and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 1,734 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Maryland or Virginia?
Maryland. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Maryland 4th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th.
Is Maryland or Virginia better for retirees?
Virginia is friendlier to retirees on paper. Maryland does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Virginia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $4,074 a year in Maryland and $2,886 in Virginia.