State comparison
New Mexico vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
New Mexico costs a median household about $1,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,815 a year against $2,886 in Virginia.
New Mexico
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 6 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: New Mexico vs Virginia
New Mexico has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.9%, which works out to 4.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,112 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 Mexico wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in New Mexico and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,815 against $2,886, so New Mexico has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.82% in New Mexico 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: $6,677 a year in New Mexico, $8,199 in Virginia. New Mexico is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New Mexico's cost of living index is 91 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; New Mexico is about 12% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $330K in New Mexico and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $60K gap in New Mexico's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,250 a month in New Mexico and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in New Mexico and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 778 incidents per 100,000 residents in New Mexico and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 295% lower. Property crime is 3,286 per 100,000 in New Mexico against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 74.1 years in New Mexico and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.8-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New Mexico's health system 49th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
9.2% of New Mexico 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 New Mexico's K-12 schools 46th in the country and Virginia's 10th, 36 places apart in Virginia's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New Mexico went to Harris by 10 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
New Mexico 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 New Mexico is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in New Mexico 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 New Mexico and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in New Mexico (wildfire, drought, flash-flood) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter), so Virginia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 44 in New Mexico 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
6
New Mexico
8
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New Mexico or Virginia better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. New Mexico on taxes ($6,677 a year for a median household against $8,199); New Mexico on everyday costs (index 91 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 778); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 46th).
Which is cheaper, New Mexico or Virginia?
New Mexico is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 102. The median home is $330K in New Mexico and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes New Mexico saves a median household about $1,500 a year.
Does New Mexico or Virginia have lower taxes?
New Mexico. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,677 a year in New Mexico ($3,112 income tax, $1,815 property tax on the median home and $1,750 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 Mexico or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 778 per 100,000 residents in New Mexico and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 3,286 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, New Mexico or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Mexico 46th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th.
Is New Mexico or Virginia better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. New Mexico does not tax Social Security, partly 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 $1,815 a year in New Mexico and $2,886 in Virginia.