State comparison
New Jersey vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Virginia costs a median household about $6,600 a year less in state and local taxes than New Jersey, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,886 a year against $10,650 in New Jersey.
New Jersey
High tax burden · COL index 121
Wins 3 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: New Jersey vs Virginia
New Jersey has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.75%, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,628 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. New Jersey wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 2.13% of home value a year in New Jersey and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $10,650 against $2,886, so Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.60% in New Jersey 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: $14,755 a year in New Jersey, $8,199 in Virginia. Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New Jersey's cost of living index is 121 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Virginia is about 19% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $500K in New Jersey and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $110K gap in Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New Jersey and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $1,400 a year in New Jersey and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 213 incidents per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 8% lower. Property crime is 1,368 per 100,000 in New Jersey against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring New Jersey.
Health
Life expectancy is 79 years in New Jersey and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.1-year edge for New Jersey. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New Jersey's health system 19th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
6.8% of New Jersey residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, which favors New Jersey. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Jersey's K-12 schools 2nd in the country and Virginia's 10th, 8 places apart in New Jersey's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New Jersey went to Harris by 6 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
New Jersey 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 New Jersey regulates guns more tightly and Virginia is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in New Jersey and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.13 an hour in New Jersey and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New Jersey (hurricane, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 35 in New Jersey and 37 in Virginia (under 50 is good), favoring New Jersey.
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
New Jersey
11
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New Jersey 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 $14,755); Virginia on everyday costs (index 102 against 121); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 213); New Jersey on schools (ranked 2nd against 10th).
Which is cheaper, New Jersey or Virginia?
Virginia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 121. The median home is $500K in New Jersey and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Virginia saves a median household about $6,600 a year.
Does New Jersey or Virginia have lower taxes?
Virginia. A household earning $74,580 pays about $14,755 a year in New Jersey ($2,628 income tax, $10,650 property tax on the median home and $1,477 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, New Jersey or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 213 per 100,000 residents in New Jersey and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 1,368 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, New Jersey or Virginia?
New Jersey. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Jersey 2nd of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th.
Is New Jersey or Virginia better for retirees?
Virginia is friendlier to retirees on paper. New Jersey does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an 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 $10,650 a year in New Jersey and $2,886 in Virginia.