Giles County
Typical home signal around $177,000.
Moving to New River Valley from Boston
For people leaving Boston, Southwest Virginia is one of the better-value places to land. Housing and taxes cost a good deal less here, and you're right next to the Blue Ridge.
9.0% → 5.75%
Top income tax (MA vs VA)
1.10% → ~1%
Property tax rate
~42% lower
Cost of living vs Boston
$212,500
Median home here
Taxes
MA's top income tax rate is 9.0% versus Virginia's 5.75%, and property taxes run about 1.10% there versus roughly 1% across the region. On a $212,500 home that's a meaningful annual difference.
Cost of living & housing
Overall costs run about 42% lower here than in Boston. It takes only about $117,333 here to match a $200,000 lifestyle there. The $212,500 median home here would run on the order of $366,379 back in Boston.
Where to live
For a first pass, compare both the numbers and the lifestyle fit. These are useful starting points before you narrow to specific homes.
Montgomery County
193 walkable spots in the amenity scan.
Floyd County
Division reports 96% on-time graduation.
Then compare the broader area numbers:
| Area | Median price | Tax /$100 |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County (Blacksburg & Christiansburg) | $356,000 | 0.76 |
| Pulaski County | $200,000 | 0.74 |
| Giles County | $177,000 | 0.68 |
| Floyd County | $225,000 | 0.66 |
Next steps
Run your numbersUse your actual income, current home value, and target area so the tax and affordability estimate is not generic.
Shortlist two or three areasPick one budget-first option, one commute-first option, and one daily-life option before looking at individual listings.
Check freshnessUse the source notes on each area page, especially where sale data is sparse or assessed values are used as a fallback.
Compare costs in the moving guide →
Sources and freshness
How to read the data for moving from Boston to New River Valley.
- Last rebuilt 2026-06-23 from the latest records synced into this guide.
- Home-price medians use 5,384 recorded public sale rows across 4 areas.
- 1 area uses assessed value because usable sale-price coverage is limited.
- Property and tax figures come from county/city parcel, sales, and assessor records.
- School metrics use Virginia Department of Education profiles when available.
- Amenity and business counts use OpenStreetMap, so hours and listings can change.
- Jobs, events, news, and business-directory layers are included only after their feeds or curated sources sync.
- Use these figures as planning estimates, then verify taxes, listings, and school details before making an offer.
Still choosing between Southwest Virginia markets?
This page is focused on New River Valley. Use the region split below to keep nearby towns, commute patterns, and local data straight.
Current guide
New River Valley
Where Virginia Tech, the New River, and the Blue Ridge all meet, with some of the lowest tax rates in the region.
Montgomery CountyRadfordPulaski CountyGiles CountyFloyd County
Companion guide
Roanoke Metro
A walkable small city with a Level I trauma center and miles of mountain greenway, for a lot less than the coast costs.
Roanoke CountyRoanoke CitySalem
Open Roanoke guide