District of Columbia and Virginia at a glance
Moving between District of Columbia and Virginia changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, District of Columbia leaves $13,794 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; Virginia leaves $21,549.
Virginia comes out ahead by $7,754 a year ($646 a month). The calculation starts from the same gross pay in both states, subtracts federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, then each state's own income tax, and then the population-weighted cost of a one-bedroom rental, groceries, home energy and gasoline across 681,294 people in 1 counties in District of Columbia and 8,705,170 people in 133 counties in Virginia.
Taxes: what each paycheck loses
Federal income tax ($5,072) and FICA ($4,590) on $60,000 are the same on both sides of the border. State income tax takes $2,525 in District of Columbia and $2,650 in Virginia, which leaves take-home pay of $47,814 and $47,688.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $73,276 in District of Columbia and $73,951 in Virginia, a difference of $675. The gap widens with income because graduated state brackets take a growing share.
Living costs
One-bedroom rent averages $2,204 a month in District of Columbia and $1,596 in Virginia, so Virginia is $608 a month cheaper for housing. Food costs $3,436 a year in both, because the USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a national figure; home energy $2,524 and $2,119, and gasoline $1,611 and $1,429. Together the basics cost $34,019 a year in District of Columbia and $26,140 in Virginia.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $109,870 in District of Columbia and $93,170 in Virginia. Homeowners pay a median of $4,312 a year in property tax in District of Columbia and $2,790 in Virginia. Commuters travel 30.0 minutes each way on average in District of Columbia and 27.3 in Virginia.
Method
Taxes use the 2025 rules for a single filer with wage income only and the standard deduction. Housing and living costs are county figures from HUD (one-bedroom Fair Market Rent), the USDA Thrifty Food Plan and state energy prices from the Energy Information Administration, averaged across each state's counties and weighted by population, so large counties count more. Local income taxes are not included. Counties differ widely inside every state, so use the county pages for a specific place.