Cost of Living

The cost of living in Virginia Beach is ​well below that of other metropolitan areas in the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. This cost of living index calculator​ can help you figure out the cost of living based on your current salary and location.

Virginia Beach Ranks as the Second Best City for Work-Life Balance, SmartAsset (2021)
America's Most Affordable Beach Town, Realtor.com (2018)
A Top Beach for Families, Travel Channel (2018)

America's Best City to Live and Save Money, GoBankingRates (2017)

Virginia Beach MSA

COST OF LIVING INDEXNATIONAL AVERAGE = 100
Composite index97.4
Grocery items95.6
Housing93.0
Utilities102.0
Transportation93.6
Health care94.6
Miscellaneous goods and services102.9

Source: Council for Community Economic Research Cost of Living Index, 2021 Annual Average Data (Released January 2022)


Cost of Living Comparison

COMPOSITE INDEXNATIONAL AVERAGE = 100
Virginia Beach97.4
Anne Arundel County, MD*

(Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD Metro)

106.5
Arapahoe County, CO*
(Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Metro)
104.6
Atlanta, GA105.0
Bristol County, MA*

(Providence-Warwick RI-MA Metro)

117.2
Charleston, SC99.7
Charlotte, NC94.8
Jacksonville, FL94.2
Johnson County, KS*

(Kansas City MO-KS Metro)

93.7
Las Vegas, NV*104.3
Long Beach, CA*149.3
Miami, FL117.1
Ramsey County, MN*

(Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI Metro)

102.9
Savannah, GA87.0
Washington County, OR*

(Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA Metro)

130.1
Williamson County, TX*

(Austin-Round Rock TX Metro)

101.2

Source: Council for Community Economic Research Cost of Living Index, 2021​ ​​Annual Average Data​; *benchmark cities/areas with similar size to Virginia Beach/MSA