MoCo schools are better than FCPS, APS, or FCCPS? Really?

I hate my adopted commonwealth's politics -- will happily trade the Coochcom for MD "nanny state" -- but I've got no complaints about the schools, except for the BS imposed by Richmond.

Anonymous wrote:Is there more service in MD to compensate? I do hear that MD is the nanny state, etc.

Yes. In MoCo at least better schools for one, but county and state services are all readily available. Yes, more nanny state also. Dift strokes for difft folks.

Anonymous wrote:Depending on the year of car, you may be in for a huge tax BILL. I could be wrong on the details, but the first 10,000 is subsidized for value but you have a 5% annual tax on each car. It su-ucks.

no it's first 20k subsidized

MOCO charges an extra 3% in state income taxes, so you save on that. VA sales tax is 5% instead of 6%, but it's going go up to 5.7% I think from July 1. Car tax I forget but you can look it up in the DMV website.

Is there more service in MD to compensate? I do hear that MD is the nanny state, etc.

Depending on where in Arlington (proximity to a metro, for instance) rents can be much much higher... for instance a 2br on red line metro at say Grovesnor might be $1600. You're looking at AT LEAST 2300 - 2400 for anything near a metro. I'm between Pentagon City and Crystal City (so not the "desirable" side of Arlington) and pay $2600/month when you factor in parking and pet rent.

We're actually doing the opposite -- Rent in VA but buying a property in MD. All in all MD is very slightly more expensive for us all told, but not so much that it matters.

There have been formal studies on this topic. I'll post the executive summary of the last one for you:

"Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia hose their respective citizens equally."

There.

Basically between taxes and fees, the savings of moving from md to va are real but small. Taxes are lower in va but fees are higher.

Depending on the year of car, you may be in for a huge tax BILL. I could be wrong on the details, but the first 10,000 is subsidized for value but you have a 5% annual tax on each car. It su-ucks.

Family income: $160,000
1 young child
Will be renting in a similar price range to what e currently rent in Montgomery county.

How much (if anything) might we save on the tax differential between the two? We will have one car (may have two) of the Subaru and Honda civic varieties.

TIA!