State comparison
Texas vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Texas costs a median household about $930 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because it has no income tax.
Texas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 6 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Texas vs Virginia
Texas 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. Texas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.60% of home value a year in Texas and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,440 against $2,886, so Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.19% in Texas 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: $7,272 a year in Texas, $8,199 in Virginia. Texas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Texas's cost of living index is 97 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Texas is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Texas and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $50K gap in Texas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Texas and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $3,200 a year in Texas and $1,200 in Virginia, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 447 incidents per 100,000 residents in Texas and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 127% lower. Property crime is 2,478 per 100,000 in Texas against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.3 years in Texas and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.6-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Texas's health system 36th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
18.4% of Texas residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, which favors Virginia. Virginia expanded Medicaid and Texas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Texas's K-12 schools 36th in the country and Virginia's 10th, 26 places apart in Virginia's favor. Texas runs a school-choice voucher program; Virginia does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Texas went to Trump by 14 points and Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Texas 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 Texas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Texas and legal with limits in Virginia, and marijuana is medical only in Texas and legal for adults in Virginia as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Texas and $12.00 in Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Texas (hurricane, tornado, flood) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter), so Virginia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 43 in Texas 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
Texas
9
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Texas or Virginia better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Texas on taxes ($7,272 a year for a median household against $8,199); Texas on everyday costs (index 97 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 447); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 36th).
Which is cheaper, Texas or Virginia?
Texas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 102. The median home is $340K in Texas and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Texas saves a median household about $930 a year.
Does Texas or Virginia have lower taxes?
Texas. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,272 a year in Texas ($0 income tax, $5,440 property tax on the median home and $1,832 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, Texas or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 447 per 100,000 residents in Texas and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 2,478 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Texas or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Texas 36th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th. Texas also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Texas or Virginia better for retirees?
Texas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Texas 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 $5,440 a year in Texas and $2,886 in Virginia.