State comparison
Nevada vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $4,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because it has no income tax.
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Nevada vs Virginia
Nevada has no state income tax. 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. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.53% of home value a year in Nevada and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,200 against $2,886, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada 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: $4,041 a year in Nevada, $8,199 in Virginia. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Nevada's cost of living index is 101 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $415K in Nevada and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $25K gap in Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Nevada and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $800 a year in Nevada and $1,200 in Virginia, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 595 incidents per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 202% lower. Property crime is 2,634 per 100,000 in Nevada against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.5 years in Nevada and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.4-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Nevada's health system 35th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
10.6% of Nevada 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 Nevada's K-12 schools 48th in the country and Virginia's 10th, 38 places apart in Virginia's favor. Nevada runs a school-choice voucher program; Virginia does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Nevada went to Trump by 3 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of C+; Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Virginia regulates guns more tightly and Nevada is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Nevada and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Nevada and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 40 in Nevada 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
8
Nevada
7
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Nevada or Virginia better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $8,199); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Nevada or Virginia?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 102. The median home is $415K in Nevada and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $4,200 a year.
Does Nevada or Virginia have lower taxes?
Nevada. A household earning $74,580 pays about $4,041 a year in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 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, Nevada or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 595 per 100,000 residents in Nevada and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 2,634 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Nevada or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Nevada 48th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Nevada or Virginia better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Nevada does not tax Social Security, 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 $2,200 a year in Nevada and $2,886 in Virginia.