State comparison
Virginia vs Arkansas: which state is better to live in?
Arkansas costs a median household about $2,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,170 a year against $2,886 in Virginia.
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
Arkansas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 85
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Virginia vs Arkansas
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. Arkansas has a graduated income tax topping out at 3.9%, which works out to 3.6% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,680 a year. Arkansas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.74% of home value a year in Virginia and 0.60% in Arkansas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,886 against $1,170, so Arkansas has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.73% in Virginia and 9.46% in Arkansas; Virginia is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $8,199 a year in Virginia, $5,966 in Arkansas. Arkansas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Virginia's cost of living index is 102 and Arkansas's is 85, where 100 is the national average; Arkansas is about 20% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $390K in Virginia and $195K in Arkansas (Zillow, 2024), a $195K gap in Arkansas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month in Virginia and $970 in Arkansas.
Home insurance averages $1,200 a year in Virginia and $2,600 in Arkansas, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 197 incidents per 100,000 residents in Virginia and 619 in Arkansas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 214% lower. Property crime is 1,617 per 100,000 in Virginia against 2,469 in Arkansas, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.9 years in Virginia and 73.8 in Arkansas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 4.1-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Virginia's health system 16th of 50 and Arkansas's 44th, so Virginia scores better on care.
8.1% of Virginia residents have no health insurance against 9.4% in Arkansas, which favors Virginia. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Virginia's K-12 schools 10th in the country and Arkansas's 42nd, 32 places apart in Virginia's favor. Arkansas runs a school-choice voucher program; Virginia does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Virginia went to Harris by 3 points and Arkansas went to Trump by 28 points.
Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Arkansas has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Virginia regulates guns more tightly and Arkansas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is legal with limits in Virginia and banned with narrow exceptions in Arkansas, and marijuana is legal for adults in Virginia and medical only in Arkansas as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Virginia and $11.00 in Arkansas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter) and high in Arkansas (tornado, flood), so Virginia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 37 in Virginia and 35 in Arkansas (under 50 is good), favoring Arkansas.
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
7
Virginia
7
Arkansas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Virginia or Arkansas better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Arkansas on taxes ($5,966 a year for a median household against $8,199); Arkansas on everyday costs (index 85 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 619); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 42nd).
Which is cheaper, Virginia or Arkansas?
Arkansas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 85 against 102. The median home is $390K in Virginia and $195K in Arkansas (2024). On state and local taxes Arkansas saves a median household about $2,200 a year.
Does Virginia or Arkansas have lower taxes?
Arkansas. A household earning $74,580 pays about $8,199 a year in Virginia ($4,031 income tax, $2,886 property tax on the median home and $1,282 in sales tax) and $5,966 in Arkansas ($2,680 income tax, $1,170 property tax on the median home and $2,117 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Virginia or Arkansas?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 197 per 100,000 residents in Virginia and 619 in Arkansas; property crime is 1,617 against 2,469.
Which has better schools, Virginia or Arkansas?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Virginia 10th of 50 for K-12 and Arkansas 42nd. Arkansas also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Virginia or Arkansas better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Virginia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Arkansas does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,886 a year in Virginia and $1,170 in Arkansas.