Moving from Virginia to Washington
Virginia to Washington is a move of about 2,749 miles. Median rent is $1,760 a month in Washington and $1,579 in Virginia, and the median home is $564,600 against $383,700. Washington has no state income tax, against up to 5.75% in Virginia. Property tax runs 0.81% of home value in Washington and 0.73% in Virginia.
Moving to Washington costs
About the same
Virginia and Washington work out within $50/mo of each other, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Virginia and Washington cost about the same to live in
Homes cost 1.5x more in one than the other, yet once taxes and everyday costs are counted the two land within $50 a month of each other. The sticker price on a house is a poor guide to what a place actually costs.
Virginia vs Washington at a glance
| Virginia | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $383,700 | $564,600 |
| Median rent | $1,579/mo | $1,760/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 5.75% | No state income tax |
| Property tax rate | 0.73% | 0.81% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 100 | 104 |
| Utilities | 92 | 93 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Virginia vs Washington
| Monthly | VA | WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,579 | $1,760 | +$181 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $315 | $0 | -$315 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $80 | $101 | +$21 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,840 | $1,913 | +$73 |
| Utilities | $376 | $379 | +$3 |
| Total | -$37 | ||
Cost to move from Virginia to Washington
$4,300 to $9,000
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $1,050 to $1,450, against roughly $850 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 5-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Virginia Beach is not Virginia-average and Seattle is not Washington-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Washington, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.