Virginia Beach Cost of Living

What living in Virginia Beach costs

At 1.00x national costs, Virginia Beach is more expensive than 49 and cheaper than 42 of the 99 other metros here. In practical terms that is $1,450 a month for a one-bedroom and roughly $390,000 to buy.

The price-to-rent ratio here is roughly 22, which is high. Above about 20, renting and investing the down payment usually beats buying over a normal holding period — the purchase price is steep relative to what the same property earns as a rental.

Working and living here

Virginia Beach is a metro of roughly 1.8M and roughly flat, running on military/defense, tourism, port/shipping. Larger employers include Naval Station Norfolk (Hampton Roads), Sentara Healthcare, Amazon.

Virginia taxes income at the state level, and Virginia Beach adds no separate city tax. Cost-of-living indexes exclude income tax entirely, so compare after-tax figures rather than index ratios when weighing this metro against one in a no-income-tax state.

Getting around: Virginia Beach is effectively car-dependent. Budget for a car — around $9,000 a year all-in once insurance, fuel, maintenance and parking are counted, a cost the index assumes but does not itemise.

Climate: Humid subtropical coastal climate with mild winters near 33°F lows and warm humid summers with July highs near 87°F.

Part of the Hampton Roads metro anchored by the world's largest naval base (Naval Station Norfolk), giving the regional economy heavy dependence on federal defense spending.