?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Fair Oaks, VA vs Mechanicsville, VA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Fair Oaks needs about $78,000 in Mechanicsville to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Mechanicsville, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $92,000 in Fair Oaks.

A few differences

Fair Oaks vs Mechanicsville · facet by facet
FacetFair Oaks, VAMechanicsville, VA
Median home price$608,200$351,000
2-bedroom rent$2,342/mo$1,536/mo
Property tax rate0.87%0.87%
State & local income tax4.36%4.36%
Sales tax5.75%5.75%
Cost of living index127101
Groceries index100100
Utilities$175/mo$175/mo
Median household income$123,947$98,595
Unemployment rate2.9%2.9%
Crime index32/10032/100
School rating6.8/106.8/10
Sunny days / year210 days210 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Fair Oaks, VA · Mechanicsville, VA
Questions & answers
Is Fair Oaks cheaper than Mechanicsville?
Mechanicsville has the lower day-to-day cost index (101 vs 127 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Mechanicsville equals $85,000 in Fair Oaks?
A household earning $85,000 in Fair Oaks needs about $78,000 in Mechanicsville to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Mechanicsville lifestyle costs about $92,000 in Fair Oaks.