The Truth About the Cost of Living in Virginia

[@churchofpos2279]

Virginia's cost of living is lower than a lot of states. It just depends on what part. The closer to DC you get, the higher the cost. If you like rural areas, Southwest Virginia and the area near Richlands are lower. I did look into moving to Tennessee, but the property taxes were too high. What people do not realize is in the Tennessee that there is no income tax, but make up for it in sales tax and property tax.

[@gaurd3]

At first glance that may give you pause. But if you look beneath the surface TN OVERALL tax burden is among the best. I have quite the nest egg and Tenn allows me to keep of my money I worked hard to save for retirement. As of 2024 Virginia is the 24th worse state for taxes. TN is 47th!

[@audreygregis8721]

This makes sooo much sense. When I lived in York, PA....there were 17 school districts in York Co, each having their own milage rates. Because I always chose to live in a low milage rate area, my taxes and cost of living were way less. We can't look at things as a blanket, rather the area within the state.

[@SnakeBiteWelding]

How is westen area of virginia? It seems very rural and wonder if the taxes are still high? Im most concerned about property/school taxes

[@iwonabury2486]

We are living in MN for last 40 years. Thinking about moving to TN . Red state, mild Winters and lower cost of living. Thank you for many great information's on your presentations on TN.

[@stephenwilder3525]

Eye opening comparisons.

[@carsmusicfan]

Wonderful breakdown. Curious if real estate taxes get stepped up when a home sale closes. Seems like some properties have unusually low taxes if they've been owned for a long time. Also, what's the sales tax on a new or used car.? Nice to know that there's no ongoing personal property tax like here in Virginia. Any real benefits to being inside city limits Vs county homes considering the 40% higher property tax?

[@TNVAHomeTeam]

In my experience, the tax appraisal won't change until the normal re-assessment is completed (every 5 years on Washington County TN and Sullivan County is every 4 years). Some cities re-assess annually however. When buying a car, you pay 7% on the full amount, and the local tax rate on the first $1600 of value. I've often thought about your last question of the benefits of living in the city. Sure, you get access to public sewer and garbage pickup, but you have to pay for those on your water bill. I'd say the biggest benefit is city fire service, which typically reduces your homeowner's insurance vs. a volunteer fire dept.

[@carsmusicfan]

Thank you very much for the fast reply... Good things to consider. Have a great day.

[@RandallRingwald-bw4cr]

I was told about personal property taxes in Virginia. Being a life long North East Tennesseean, I'm somewhat ignorant of what is taxed and how much? Thanks

[@TNVAHomeTeam]

The state adds tax to some types of owned personal items such as automobiles, RVs, and a few other things. It isn't a huge expense, but there nonetheless - www.loudoun.gov/1616/Vehicle-Personal-Property-Tax#:~:text=Virginia%20is%20a%20personal%20property,%22situs%22%20in%20the%20county.