State comparison
Virginia vs California: which state is better to live in?
Virginia costs a median household about $2,800 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,886 a year against $5,609 in California.
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 10 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 4 categories
Taxes: Virginia vs California
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. California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 a year. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.74% of home value a year in Virginia and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,886 against $5,609, so California has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.73% in Virginia and 8.82% in California; 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, $10,957 in California. Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Virginia's cost of living index is 102 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Virginia is about 39% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $390K in Virginia and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $400K gap in Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month in Virginia and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $1,200 a year in Virginia and $2,100 in California, so Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 197 incidents per 100,000 residents in Virginia and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 153% lower. Property crime is 1,617 per 100,000 in Virginia against 2,027 in California, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.9 years in Virginia and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.3-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Virginia's health system 16th of 50 and California's 13th, so California scores better on care.
8.1% of Virginia residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors California. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Virginia's K-12 schools 10th in the country and California's 20th, 10 places apart in Virginia's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Virginia went to Harris by 3 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; California has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so California regulates guns more tightly and Virginia is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is legal with limits in Virginia and protected by state law in California, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Virginia and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Virginia is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 37 in Virginia and 62 in California (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
10
Virginia
4
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Virginia or California better to live in?
Virginia wins more of the measures that decide a move. Virginia on taxes ($8,199 a year for a median household against $10,957); Virginia on everyday costs (index 102 against 142); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, Virginia or California?
Virginia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 142. The median home is $390K in Virginia and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Virginia saves a median household about $2,800 a year.
Does Virginia or California have lower taxes?
Virginia. 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 $10,957 in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Virginia or California?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 197 per 100,000 residents in Virginia and 499 in California; property crime is 1,617 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Virginia or California?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Virginia 10th of 50 for K-12 and California 20th.
Is Virginia or California better for retirees?
Virginia is friendlier to retirees on paper. Virginia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,886 a year in Virginia and $5,609 in California.