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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Dive into Norfolk's numbers: cost index 99 — we had to double-check this one — (12 points below national average), rent $1,696/month, income $64,017, and a home price of $302,742. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 99, while Healthcare runs 100. With 230,930 re…
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norfolk | 99 | $1,696 | Details |
| 2 | Newport News | 93 | $1,596 | Details |
| 3 | Hampton | 93 | $1,587 | Details |
| 4 | Richmond | 92 | $1,574 | Details |
| 5 | Virginia Beach | 114 | $1,953 | Details |
| 6 | Chesapeake | 117 | $2,002 | Details |
| 7 | Alexandria | 130 | $2,223 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Norfolk — cost index 99, rent $1,696/mo, income $64,017
Norfolk rent up 6% over the past year
Family-weighted scoring: income $64,017, healthcare index 100, population 230,930 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Dive into Norfolk's numbers: cost index 99 — we had to double-check this one — (12 points below national average), rent $1,696/month, income $64,017, and a home price of $302,742. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Housing is the cheapest category at 99, while Healthcare runs 100. With 230,930 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
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). Norfolk leads because it scores across all four. Newport News and Hampton follow with even better healthcare costs.
In plain English: Families relocating within Virginia face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. No major red flags in that number. We ran the numbers on 7 cities. Norfolk — index 99 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , rent $1,696/mo, healthcare index 100 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
It's a strong position — but not without footnotes. Virginia — DC suburbs drive costs; the rest stays affordable. The 7 cities we track here average a cost index of 105 and median income of $79,954. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,804/month, which is $91 less than the national median.
You don't need to read between the lines. The lines say it all: Norfolk rent up 6% over the past year. Rent in #1-ranked Norfolk has increased from $1,603 to $1,696/mo over the past 12 months — a 6% increase. Rising costs may erode its top ranking over time. At this level, the city practically pays for your move.
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.
230,930 residents · Virginia
Why Norfolk ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 99 on the cost index, residents save roughly 12% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,696/month while the median household pulls in $64,017/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 99, though Healthcare (100) lags behind. Home prices average $302,742 — $164,628 below the national median.
183,118 residents · Virginia
Why Newport News ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 93 on the cost index, residents save roughly 18% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,596/month while the median household pulls in $66,718/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 93, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $287,123 — $180,247 below the national median.
137,098 residents · Virginia
Dive into Hampton's numbers: cost index 93 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — (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.
114,106 residents · Virginia
Dive into Richmond's numbers: cost index 92 — for better or worse — (19 points below national average), rent $1,574/month, income $62,671, and a home price of $361,133. And roughly speaking, 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.
453,649 residents · Virginia
Look, Virginia Beach earns its position at #5 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 114 cost index sits 3 points above the national baseline, and the $90,685 median income means purchasing power here is partially offset by higher costs. Homes list at $418,508 — $48,862 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 103, while Housing trails at 114.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to families. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Virginia by this personalized metric. 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.
Norfolk ranks #1 in Virginia for this analysis with a cost index of 99 and median income of $64,017.
Norfolk scores highest for families due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,696/mo, and competitive median income of $64,017.
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.
Norfolk (ranked #1) has a cost index of 99 and rent of $1,696/mo, while Alexandria (ranked #7) has a cost index of 130 and rent of $2,223/mo — a 31-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 Norfolk is $1,696/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $199 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Norfolk is $302,742, which is 4.7× 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.