State comparison
Oklahoma vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Oklahoma costs a median household about $1,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,828 a year against $2,886 in Virginia.
Oklahoma
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 6 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Oklahoma vs Virginia
Oklahoma has a graduated income tax topping out at 4.75%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,354 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. Oklahoma wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.85% of home value a year in Oklahoma and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,828 against $2,886, so Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.97% in Oklahoma 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: $7,188 a year in Oklahoma, $8,199 in Virginia. Oklahoma is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Oklahoma's cost of living index is 87 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Oklahoma is about 17% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $215K in Oklahoma and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $175K gap in Oklahoma's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,000 a month in Oklahoma and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $5,200 a year in Oklahoma and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 449 incidents per 100,000 residents in Oklahoma and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 128% lower. Property crime is 2,840 per 100,000 in Oklahoma against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.6 years in Oklahoma and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 4.3-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Oklahoma's health system 50th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
14.3% of Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma's K-12 schools 43rd in the country and Virginia's 10th, 33 places apart in Virginia's favor. Oklahoma runs a school-choice voucher program; Virginia does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Oklahoma went to Trump by 33 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Oklahoma has permitless carry 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 Oklahoma is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Oklahoma and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is medical only in Oklahoma and legal for adults in Virginia as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Oklahoma and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Oklahoma (tornado, drought, ice-storm) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter), so Virginia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Oklahoma 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 rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
Oklahoma
8
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Oklahoma or Virginia better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Oklahoma on taxes ($7,188 a year for a median household against $8,199); Oklahoma on everyday costs (index 87 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 449); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 43rd).
Which is cheaper, Oklahoma or Virginia?
Oklahoma is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 87 against 102. The median home is $215K in Oklahoma and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Oklahoma saves a median household about $1,000 a year.
Does Oklahoma or Virginia have lower taxes?
Oklahoma. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,188 a year in Oklahoma ($3,354 income tax, $1,828 property tax on the median home and $2,007 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, Oklahoma or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 449 per 100,000 residents in Oklahoma and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 2,840 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Oklahoma or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Oklahoma 43rd of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th. Oklahoma also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Oklahoma or Virginia better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Oklahoma 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 $1,828 a year in Oklahoma and $2,886 in Virginia.