State comparison
Virginia vs West Virginia: which state is better to live in?
West Virginia costs a median household about $3,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $883 a year against $2,886 in Virginia.
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 5 categories
West Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 82
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Virginia vs West Virginia
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. West Virginia has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.12%, which works out to 3.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,618 a year. West Virginia wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.74% of home value a year in Virginia and 0.57% in West Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,886 against $883, so West Virginia has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.73% in Virginia and 6.37% in West Virginia; 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, $4,927 in West Virginia. West Virginia is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Virginia's cost of living index is 102 and West Virginia's is 82, where 100 is the national average; West Virginia is about 24% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $390K in Virginia and $155K in West Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $235K gap in West Virginia's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,700 a month in Virginia and $900 in West Virginia.
Home insurance averages $1,200 a year in Virginia and $1,100 in West Virginia, so West Virginia is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 197 incidents per 100,000 residents in Virginia and 278 in West Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 41% lower. Property crime is 1,617 per 100,000 in Virginia against 1,380 in West Virginia, again favoring West Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 77.9 years in Virginia and 71.9 in West Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 6.0-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Virginia's health system 16th of 50 and West Virginia's 46th, so Virginia scores better on care.
8.1% of Virginia residents have no health insurance against 6.6% in West Virginia, which favors West Virginia. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Virginia's K-12 schools 10th in the country and West Virginia's 49th, 39 places apart in Virginia's favor. West Virginia 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 West Virginia went to Trump by 36 points.
Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; West Virginia has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Virginia regulates guns more tightly and West Virginia is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is legal with limits in Virginia and banned with narrow exceptions in West Virginia, and marijuana is legal for adults in Virginia and medical only in West Virginia as of 2026. The minimum wage is $12.00 an hour in Virginia and $10.12 in West Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter) and moderate in West Virginia (flood, ice-storm, tornado). Annual average air quality index is 37 in Virginia and 44 in West 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
5
Virginia
9
West Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Virginia or West Virginia better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. West Virginia on taxes ($4,927 a year for a median household against $8,199); West Virginia on everyday costs (index 82 against 102); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 278); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 49th).
Which is cheaper, Virginia or West Virginia?
West Virginia is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 82 against 102. The median home is $390K in Virginia and $155K in West Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes West Virginia saves a median household about $3,300 a year.
Does Virginia or West Virginia have lower taxes?
West 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 $4,927 in West Virginia ($2,618 income tax, $883 property tax on the median home and $1,425 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Virginia or West Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 197 per 100,000 residents in Virginia and 278 in West Virginia; property crime is 1,617 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Virginia or West Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Virginia 10th of 50 for K-12 and West Virginia 49th. West Virginia also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Virginia or West Virginia 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; West Virginia 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 $883 in West Virginia.