State comparison
Minnesota vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Virginia costs a median household about $1,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Minnesota, mostly because its income tax takes 5.4% of a median income against 6.2% in Minnesota, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 102 against 95).
Minnesota
High tax burden · COL index 95
Wins 8 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Minnesota vs Virginia
Minnesota has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.85%, which works out to 6.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,588 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. Virginia wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.02% of home value a year in Minnesota and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,417 against $2,886, so Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.42% in Minnesota 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: $9,666 a year in Minnesota, $8,199 in Virginia. Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Minnesota's cost of living index is 95 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Minnesota is about 7% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $335K in Minnesota and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $55K gap in Minnesota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month in Minnesota and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $1,700 a year in Minnesota and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 286 incidents per 100,000 residents in Minnesota and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 45% lower. Property crime is 2,094 per 100,000 in Minnesota against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.4 years in Minnesota and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.5-year edge for Minnesota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Minnesota's health system 2nd of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Minnesota scores better on care.
4.5% of Minnesota residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, which favors Minnesota. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Minnesota's K-12 schools 8th in the country and Virginia's 10th, 2 places apart in Minnesota's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Minnesota went to Harris by 4 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Minnesota has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of B; Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Virginia regulates guns more tightly and Minnesota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Minnesota and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.85 an hour in Minnesota and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Minnesota (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Minnesota and 37 in Virginia (under 50 is good), favoring Minnesota.
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
8
Minnesota
7
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Minnesota or Virginia better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Virginia on taxes ($8,199 a year for a median household against $9,666); Minnesota on everyday costs (index 95 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 286); Minnesota on schools (ranked 8th against 10th).
Which is cheaper, Minnesota or Virginia?
Minnesota is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 95 against 102. The median home is $335K in Minnesota and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Virginia saves a median household about $1,500 a year.
Does Minnesota or Virginia have lower taxes?
Virginia. A household earning $74,580 pays about $9,666 a year in Minnesota ($4,588 income tax, $3,417 property tax on the median home and $1,660 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, Minnesota or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 286 per 100,000 residents in Minnesota and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 2,094 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Minnesota or Virginia?
Minnesota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Minnesota 8th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th.
Is Minnesota or Virginia better for retirees?
Virginia is friendlier to retirees on paper. Minnesota taxes 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 $3,417 a year in Minnesota and $2,886 in Virginia.