State comparison
Ohio vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Ohio costs a median household about $2,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because its income tax takes 1.8% of a median income against 5.4% in Virginia.
Ohio
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 6 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Ohio vs Virginia
Ohio has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.5%, which works out to 1.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,335 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. Ohio wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.37% of home value a year in Ohio and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $3,220 against $2,886, so Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.22% in Ohio 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: $6,169 a year in Ohio, $8,199 in Virginia. Ohio is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Ohio's cost of living index is 88 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Ohio is about 16% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $235K in Ohio and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $155K gap in Ohio's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Ohio and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $1,200 a year in Ohio and $1,200 in Virginia.
Safety
Violent crime runs 303 incidents per 100,000 residents in Ohio and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 54% lower. Property crime is 2,081 per 100,000 in Ohio against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 75.4 years in Ohio and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.5-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Ohio's health system 22nd of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
6.9% of Ohio residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, which favors Ohio. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Ohio's K-12 schools 28th in the country and Virginia's 10th, 18 places apart in Virginia's favor. Ohio runs a school-choice voucher program; Virginia does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Ohio went to Trump by 12 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Ohio has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Virginia regulates guns more tightly and Ohio is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Ohio and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $10.45 an hour in Ohio and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Ohio (tornado, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 45 in Ohio 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
Ohio
6
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Ohio or Virginia better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Ohio on taxes ($6,169 a year for a median household against $8,199); Ohio on everyday costs (index 88 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 303); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 28th).
Which is cheaper, Ohio or Virginia?
Ohio is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 102. The median home is $235K in Ohio and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Ohio saves a median household about $2,000 a year.
Does Ohio or Virginia have lower taxes?
Ohio. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,169 a year in Ohio ($1,335 income tax, $3,220 property tax on the median home and $1,615 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, Ohio or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 303 per 100,000 residents in Ohio and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 2,081 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Ohio or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Ohio 28th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th. Ohio also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Ohio or Virginia better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Ohio 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 $3,220 a year in Ohio and $2,886 in Virginia.