Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Newport News rent up 7% over the past year. And for many people, 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 (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
#1 Ranked: Newport News — cost index 99, rent $1,596/mo, income $66,718
Newport News rent up 7% over the past year
Remote-worker scoring: cost index 99, utilities index 91, income $66,718 — maximizing geographic arbitrage
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Newport News rent up 7% over the past year. And for many people, 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 (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
Straight up: Remote workers have a superpower: location independence. Which Virginia city let you keep the most of that salary? We scored 7 cities on cost of living, utility infrastructure, and income potential. Newport News leads at cost index 99 — worth pausing on — with a utilities index of 91.
The #1 spot goes to Newport News, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,596/month — saving renters $3,588 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 91, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 102. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone. Honestly, this is the kind of city that makes you wonder why more people aren't paying attention. The numbers are right there — rent that doesn't eat your paycheck, costs that actually leave room for a life. And yet it barely shows up in the national conversation about affordable places to live. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe that's what keeps it affordable (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
Perhaps more importantly, State context matters: Virginia's 7 cities average a 107 cost index with $1,804/month median rent and $79,954 household income. And roughly speaking, dC suburbs drive costs; the rest stays affordable. The 12-month trend chart is where this ranking comes alive.
Real talk: What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. And depending on your situation, 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 (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newport News | 99 | $1,596 | Details |
| 2 | Hampton | 98 | $1,587 | Details |
| 3 | Virginia Beach | 110 | $1,953 | Details |
| 4 | Chesapeake | 111 | $2,002 | Details |
| 5 | Alexandria | 126 | $2,223 | Details |
| 6 | Norfolk | 101 | $1,696 | Details |
| 7 | Richmond | 102 | $1,574 | Details |
183,118 residents · Virginia
Why Newport News ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 99 on the cost index, residents save roughly 13% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,596/month while the median household pulls in $66,718/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 91, though Healthcare (102) lags behind. Home prices average $287,123 — $180,247 below the national median (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
137,098 residents · Virginia
Dive into Hampton's numbers: cost index 98 (14 points below national average), rent $1,587/month, income $67,758, and a home price of $272,161. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 90, while Healthcare runs 101. With 137,098 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
453,649 residents · Virginia
Here's Virginia Beach by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). And depending on your situation, cost index: 110. Rent: $1,953/month — though some people might weigh that differently — . Income: $90,685/year. Home price: $418,508. Population: 453,649. The strongest category is Utilities at 102; the most expensive is Housing at 126. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $696 more per year vs. the national median. That's a strong position by any measure.
253,886 residents · Virginia
A closer look at Chesapeake: the cost index of 111 breaks down to a Utilities index of 102 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 127 (weakest). Median rent is $2,002/month — 6% above the national median — while household income sits at $94,189, meaning locals spend about 26% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
155,230 residents · Virginia
Dive into Alexandria's numbers: cost index 126 (14 points above national average), rent $2,223/month, income $113,638, and a home price of $665,724. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 116, while Housing runs 165. With 155,230 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 remote workers. 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 remote workers 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 Richmond (ranked #7) has a cost index of 102 and rent of $1,574/mo — a 3-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.