State comparison
Tennessee vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Tennessee costs a median household about $4,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because it has no income tax.
Tennessee
Low tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 8 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Tennessee vs Virginia
Tennessee has no state income tax. 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. Tennessee wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.45% of home value a year in Tennessee and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,575 against $2,886, so Tennessee has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 9.55% in Tennessee 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: $3,712 a year in Tennessee, $8,199 in Virginia. Tennessee is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Tennessee's cost of living index is 92 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Tennessee is about 11% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Tennessee and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $40K gap in Tennessee's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,400 a month in Tennessee and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $2,000 a year in Tennessee and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 668 incidents per 100,000 residents in Tennessee and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 239% lower. Property crime is 2,752 per 100,000 in Tennessee against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 74.2 years in Tennessee and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.7-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Tennessee's health system 39th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
10.4% of Tennessee residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, which favors Virginia. Virginia expanded Medicaid and Tennessee did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Tennessee's K-12 schools 41st in the country and Virginia's 10th, 31 places apart in Virginia's favor. Tennessee runs a school-choice voucher program; Virginia does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Tennessee went to Trump by 24 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Tennessee 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 Tennessee is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Tennessee and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is illegal in Tennessee and legal for adults in Virginia as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Tennessee and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Tennessee (tornado, flood, ice-storm) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 36 in Tennessee and 37 in Virginia (under 50 is good), favoring Tennessee.
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
8
Tennessee
7
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 Tennessee or Virginia better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Tennessee on taxes ($3,712 a year for a median household against $8,199); Tennessee on everyday costs (index 92 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 668); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 41st).
Which is cheaper, Tennessee or Virginia?
Tennessee is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 102. The median home is $350K in Tennessee and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Tennessee saves a median household about $4,500 a year.
Does Tennessee or Virginia have lower taxes?
Tennessee. A household earning $74,580 pays about $3,712 a year in Tennessee ($0 income tax, $1,575 property tax on the median home and $2,137 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, Tennessee or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 668 per 100,000 residents in Tennessee and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 2,752 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Tennessee or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Tennessee 41st of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th. Tennessee also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Tennessee or Virginia better for retirees?
Tennessee is friendlier to retirees on paper. Tennessee does not tax Social Security, 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 $1,575 a year in Tennessee and $2,886 in Virginia.