Quick Summary
If you are moving from Houston to Manassas VA, the tax trade is simpler than most movers expect. Texas charges no state income tax, and Virginia does, at a top rate of 5.75 percent. In return, Manassas property taxes run far below Houston bills, sales tax drops from 8.25 to 6.0 percent, and one new bill appears: a yearly tax on cars. Run all four lines together before you decide what you can afford in Manassas.
What changes first: Virginia has an income tax, Texas does not
Quick Summary: On $100,000 of Virginia taxable income, state tax is about $5,493 a year, a cost Houston does not have. On a $575,000 home, the September 2026 Manassas median, Prince William County tax at the adopted fiscal 2027 rate is about $4,974, roughly $3,594 less than the same home at the Harris County median effective rate of 1.49 percent. Add a car tax near $1,050 and a small sales tax saving, and most households land close to their Houston total.
How much lower is the property tax in Manassas?
What changes first: Virginia has an income tax, Texas does not. Virginia taxes income at 2 percent on the first $3,000, 3 percent to $5,000, 5 percent to $17,000, and 5.75 percent above $17,000, per the Virginia Department of Taxation. On $100,000 of taxable income the math is $720 plus 5.75 percent of $83,000, or $5,493 a year. Taxable income is after deductions and exemptions, not gross salary, so your bill runs below 5.75 percent of pay.
Which Manassas do you mean: city or county?
How much lower is the property tax in Manassas? Texas funds services heavily through property taxes, and Harris County carries a median effective rate near 1.49 percent in recent national compilations, after all local rates stack. At that rate a $575,000 home owes about $8,568 a year before exemptions. Prince William County adopted a fiscal 2027 rate of $0.865 per $100 on April 21, 2026, down from $0.906, so the same county home owes about $4,974 a year before smaller levies. That gap closes most of the new income tax.
What about the car tax Texans never paid?
Which Manassas do you mean: city or county? A Manassas address can sit inside the independent City of Manassas or out in Prince William County, and the bills differ. The city set tax year 2027 rates at $1.05 per $100 plus a $0.19 fire and rescue levy, a combined $1.24 per $100 (Ordinance O-2026-966, June 8, 2026). On $575,000 that is about $7,130 a year, still below Houston, but well above the county figure. County neighborhoods, including the Bristow and Gainesville side, pay the county rate. Check jurisdiction on every listing.
Does the lower sales tax matter?
What about the car tax Texans never paid? Virginia localities tax vehicles as personal property, and Texas does not. Prince William County cut its vehicle rate to $3.50 per $100 for fiscal 2026, its first vehicle rate cut since 1990, per the county. On a car assessed at $30,000 that is about $1,050 a year, billed where the car is garaged, and it falls as value falls. The city sets its own rates. Budget for it in year one.
What does the full swap look like on one salary and one home?
Does the lower sales tax matter? A little, every week. Houston charges the Texas maximum combined rate of 8.25 percent: 6.25 percent state plus 2 percent local, per the Texas Comptroller. Manassas sits at 6.0 percent total, per the Virginia Department of Taxation, with groceries at a reduced rate. The gap saves about $338 a year on $15,000 of taxable purchases, offsetting part of the car tax.
What this means for your search
What does the full swap look like on one salary and one home? Take $100,000 of taxable income, a $575,000 median home, and one $30,000 car, at a county address. Virginia adds $5,493 of income tax and $1,050 of car tax. It subtracts $3,594 of property tax versus the Harris County median rate, and $338 of sales tax. Net: roughly $2,611 more per year, about $218 a month. At a city address the property saving shrinks, and at a higher salary the income tax grows while the property line stays fixed.
FAQs
What this means for your search: In our Cornerstone work with Prince William relocation buyers, households who budget well run this math address by address, not state by state. Price in the commute too: the VRE Manassas Line runs weekday trains from Manassas and Broad Run, with the 6:24 AM departure reaching Union Station at 7:35 AM on the VRE schedule, and Woodbridge and Fairfax widen the search. A home that looks cheaper inside the city line can cost more each year than the county home nearby.
Ready to run the numbers on real homes before you move from Houston to Manassas VA? Search current homes in Manassas and Prince William County with Cornerstone Realty Group, then text (571) 441-1031 for a five minute call. We will sort listings by tax jurisdiction and flag the car tax, so your first Virginia budget has no surprises.
Sources: Virginia Department of Taxation, income tax brackets (top rate 5.75 percent above $17,000) and Northern Virginia sales tax of 6.0 percent; Prince William County, fiscal 2027 budget, April 21, 2026 ($0.865 per $100; average bill $5,114) and fiscal 2026 vehicle rate ($3.50 per $100); City of Manassas, Ordinance O-2026-966, June 8, 2026 ($1.05 plus $0.19 levy); Texas Comptroller, sales tax guide; Ownwell, 2026 (Harris County effective rate 1.49 percent); Realty.com, Manassas, September 2026, Bright MLS as of September 30, 2026 (median $575,000, 122 sales); Virginia Railway Express schedule. Examples are illustrative, not tax advice.
FAQ
Does Virginia really tax income that Texas does not?
Yes. Texas has no state income tax. Virginia taxes taxable income at 2, 3, 5, and 5.75 percent, with the top rate above $17,000. On $100,000 of taxable income the bill is about $5,493.
Is property tax in Manassas lower than in Houston?
Yes, on the same home value. Prince William County adopted $0.865 per $100 for fiscal 2027, about $4,974 a year on $575,000. Harris County runs near 1.49 percent effective, about $8,568 on the same value before exemptions. Inside the City of Manassas the combined rate is $1.24 per $100.
What is the Virginia car tax, and how much should I budget?
It is an annual local tax on vehicles, which Texas does not charge on personal cars. Prince William County charges $3.50 per $100 of assessed value, so a $30,000 car costs about $1,050 a year.
Which matters more, the income tax or the property tax?
Your ratio of income to home price decides. High earners buying near the median feel the income tax most. Buyers of a higher priced home on a moderate salary can come out ahead, because the property saving grows with home value.