State comparison
Virginia vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $4,200 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because it has no income tax.
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Virginia vs Nevada
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. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.74% of home value a year in Virginia and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,886 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.73% in Virginia and 8.23% in Nevada; 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, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Virginia's cost of living index is 102 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $390K in Virginia and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $25K gap in Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month in Virginia and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $1,200 a year in Virginia and $800 in Nevada, so Nevada is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 197 incidents per 100,000 residents in Virginia and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 202% lower. Property crime is 1,617 per 100,000 in Virginia against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.9 years in Virginia and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.4-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Virginia's health system 16th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Virginia scores better on care.
8.1% of Virginia residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, 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 Nevada's 48th, 38 places apart in Virginia's favor. Nevada 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 Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Virginia regulates guns more tightly and Nevada is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is legal with limits in Virginia and protected by state law in Nevada, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Virginia and $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 37 in Virginia and 40 in Nevada (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
7
Virginia
8
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Virginia or Nevada better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $8,199); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Virginia or Nevada?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 102. The median home is $390K in Virginia and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $4,200 a year.
Does Virginia or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. 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 $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Virginia or Nevada?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 197 per 100,000 residents in Virginia and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,617 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Virginia or Nevada?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Virginia 10th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Virginia or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Virginia does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Nevada does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,886 a year in Virginia and $2,200 in Nevada.