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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Premium market, smart picks: while Virginia trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Richmond at index 92 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving …
Premium market, smart picks: while Virginia trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Richmond at index 92 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Virginia.
What does daily life actually cost in Richmond? Start with the 30% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Housing (index 92) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 98) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $62,671 and homes at $361,133 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
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.
#1 Ranked: Richmond — cost index 92, rent $1,574/mo, income $62,671
Richmond rent up 3% over the past year
4 of 7 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
114,106 residents · Virginia
Dive into Richmond's numbers: cost index 92 (19 points below national average), rent $1,574/month, income $62,671, and a home price of $361,133. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 92, while Healthcare runs 98. With 114,106 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
137,098 residents · Virginia
Dive into Hampton's numbers: cost index 93 (18 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 — Housing is the cheapest category at 93, while Healthcare runs 99. With 137,098 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs. Worth a deeper look.
183,118 residents · Virginia
Dive into Newport News's numbers: cost index 93 (18 points below national average), rent $1,596/month, income $66,718, and a home price of $287,123. It lines up with what you'd expect. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 93, while Healthcare runs 99. With 183,118 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs. That's not nothing.
230,930 residents · Virginia
What does daily life actually cost in Norfolk? Start with the 32% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Housing (index 99) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 100) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $64,017 and homes at $302,742 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
453,649 residents · Virginia
Why Virginia Beach ranks #5: the numbers tell a clear story. At 114 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 3% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,953/month while the median household pulls in $90,685/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 103, though Housing (114) lags behind. Home prices average $418,508 — $48,862 below the national median.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond | 92 | $1,574 | Details |
| 2 | Hampton | 93 | $1,587 | Details |
| 3 | Newport News | 93 | $1,596 | Details |
| 4 | Norfolk | 99 | $1,696 | Details |
| 5 | Virginia Beach | 114 | $1,953 | Details |
| 6 | Chesapeake | 117 | $2,002 | Details |
| 7 | Alexandria | 130 | $2,223 | Details |
Rent is the single largest expense for most households. We rank all tracked cities in Virginia by median 1-bedroom rent (Zillow ZORI) from lowest to highest, filtering out any cities with incomplete data. 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.
Richmond ranks #1 in Virginia for this analysis with a cost index of 92 and median income of $62,671.
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.
Richmond (ranked #1) has a cost index of 92 and rent of $1,574/mo, while Alexandria (ranked #7) has a cost index of 130 and rent of $2,223/mo — a 38-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 Richmond is $1,574/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $321 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Richmond is $361,133, which is 5.8× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. 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.