State comparison
New York vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Virginia costs a median household about $4,200 a year less in state and local taxes than New York, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,886 a year against $6,580 in New York.
New York
High tax burden · COL index 139
Wins 3 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 12 categories
Taxes: New York vs Virginia
New York has a graduated income tax topping out at 10.9%, which works out to 5.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,862 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 York wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.40% of home value a year in New York and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,580 against $2,886, so Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.52% in New York 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: $12,349 a year in New York, $8,199 in Virginia. Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New York's cost of living index is 139 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Virginia is about 36% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $470K in New York and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $80K gap in Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,200 a month in New York and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $1,800 a year in New York and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 379 incidents per 100,000 residents in New York and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 92% lower. Property crime is 1,480 per 100,000 in New York against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring New York.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.3 years in New York and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.4-year edge for New York. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New York's health system 15th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so New York scores better on care.
5.4% of New York residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, which favors New York. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York's K-12 schools 12th in the country and Virginia's 10th, 2 places apart in Virginia's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election New York went to Harris by 12 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
New York 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 York regulates guns more tightly and Virginia is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in New York and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in New York and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in New York (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 38 in New York 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
New York
12
Virginia
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New York 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 $12,349); Virginia on everyday costs (index 102 against 139); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 379); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 12th).
Which is cheaper, New York or Virginia?
Virginia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 139. The median home is $470K in New York and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Virginia saves a median household about $4,200 a year.
Does New York or Virginia have lower taxes?
Virginia. A household earning $74,580 pays about $12,349 a year in New York ($3,862 income tax, $6,580 property tax on the median home and $1,906 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 York or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 379 per 100,000 residents in New York and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 1,480 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, New York or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New York 12th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th.
Is New York or Virginia better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. New York does not tax Social Security, 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 $6,580 a year in New York and $2,886 in Virginia.