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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Families relocating within Virginia face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 7 cities. Newport News — index 99, rent $1,596/mo, healthcare index 102 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model (that's pre-tax, of course).
#1 Ranked: Newport News — cost index 99, rent $1,596/mo, income $66,718
Newport News rent up 7% over the past year
Family-weighted scoring: income $66,718, healthcare index 102, population 183,118 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Families relocating within Virginia face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 7 cities. Newport News — index 99, rent $1,596/mo, healthcare index 102 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model (that's pre-tax, of course).
Our family scoring model prioritizes four dimensions: household income above $60K (supporting a family-sized budget), cost index under 100 (keeping daily expenses manageable), healthcare index under 110 (critical for pediatric care and family premiums), and population above 200K (ensuring access to quality schools and youth programs). Newport News leads because it scores across all four. Hampton and Norfolk follow with even better healthcare costs.
Dive into Newport News's numbers: cost index 99 (13 points below national average), rent $1,596/month, income $66,718, and a home price of $287,123. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 91, while Healthcare runs 102. With 183,118 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Newport News rent up 7% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Newport News has increased from $1,490 to $1,596/mo over the past 12 months — a 7% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newport News | 99 | $1,596 | Details |
| 2 | Hampton | 98 | $1,587 | Details |
| 3 | Norfolk | 101 | $1,696 | Details |
| 4 | Virginia Beach | 110 | $1,953 | Details |
| 5 | Chesapeake | 111 | $2,002 | Details |
| 6 | Richmond | 102 | $1,574 | Details |
| 7 | Alexandria | 126 | $2,223 | Details |
183,118 residents · Virginia
At $1,596/month — we had to double-check this one — for rent and a cost index of 99, Newport News is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $66,718. Fairly typical for a city this size. Quietly competitive.
137,098 residents · Virginia
Hampton comes in at #2. Rent is $1,587 a month. Household income is $67,758. The cost of living index is 98. That's more or less in line with the region.
230,930 residents · Virginia
Norfolk earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 101 cost index sits 11 points below the national baseline, and the $64,017 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $302,742 — $164,628 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 93, while Healthcare trails at 104.
453,649 residents · Virginia
Why Virginia Beach ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. At 110 on the cost index, residents save roughly 2% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,953/month while the median household pulls in $90,685/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 102, though Housing (126) lags behind. Home prices average $418,508 — $48,862 below the national median (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
253,886 residents · Virginia
Dive into Chesapeake's numbers: cost index 111 (1 points below national average), rent $2,002/month, income $94,189, and a home price of $413,755. It lines up with what you'd expect. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 102, while Housing runs 127. With 253,886 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to families. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Newport News ranks #1 in Virginia for this analysis with a cost index of 99 and median income of $66,718.
Newport News scores highest for families due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,596/mo, and competitive median income of $66,718.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Newport News (ranked #1) has a cost index of 99 and rent of $1,596/mo, while Alexandria (ranked #7) has a cost index of 126 and rent of $2,223/mo — a 27-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Newport News is $1,596/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $299 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Newport News is $287,123, which is 4.3× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. The national median home price is $467,370.
Virginia has a 5.75% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 5.77%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.75%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.