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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in Virginia — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Alexandria (index 126, rent $2,223/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 7 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
#1 Ranked: Alexandria — cost index 126, rent $2,223/mo, income $113,638
Alexandria is a clear outlier at index 126
6 of 7 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Alexandria | 5.75% | 5.77% | 0.75% | $78,095 |
2Chesapeake | 5.75% | 5.77% | 0.75% | $78,095 |
3Virginia Beach | 5.75% | 5.77% | 0.75% | $78,095 |
4Hampton | 5.75% | 5.77% | 0.75% | $78,095 |
5Newport News | 5.75% | 5.77% | 0.75% | $78,095 |
6Norfolk | 5.75% | 5.77% | 0.75% | $78,095 |
7Richmond | 5.75% | 5.77% | 0.75% | $78,095 |
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in Virginia — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Alexandria (index 126, rent $2,223/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 7 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
What does daily life actually cost in Alexandria? Start with the 23% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 116) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 165) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $113,638 and homes at $665,724 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Bottom line: Alexandria leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. And in most cases, click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
| Rank | City | Median Income | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandria | $113,638 | 126 | $2,223 | Details |
| 2 | Chesapeake | $94,189 | 111 | $2,002 | Details |
| 3 | Virginia Beach | $90,685 | 110 | $1,953 | Details |
| 4 | Hampton | $67,758 | 98 | $1,587 | Details |
| 5 | Newport News | $66,718 | 99 | $1,596 | Details |
| 6 | Norfolk | $64,017 | 101 | $1,696 | Details |
| 7 | Richmond | $62,671 | 102 | $1,574 | Details |
155,230 residents · Virginia
Alexandria comes in at #1. Rent is $2,223 a month. Household income is $113,638. The cost of living index is 126. There's not much to say about that beyond the obvious.
253,886 residents · Virginia
Here's Chesapeake by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 111. Rent: $2,002/month. Income: $94,189/year. Home price: $413,755. Population: 253,886. The strongest category is Utilities at 102; the most expensive is Housing at 127. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $1,284 more per year vs. the national median. Over a five-year window, that difference is life-changing.
453,649 residents · Virginia
Dive into Virginia Beach's numbers: cost index 110 — for better or worse — (2 points below national average), rent $1,953/month, income $90,685, and a home price of $418,508. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 102, while Housing runs 126. With 453,649 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
137,098 residents · Virginia
A closer look at Hampton: the cost index of 98 breaks down to a Utilities index of 90 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 101 (weakest). Median rent is $1,587/month — 16% below the national median — while household income sits at $67,758, meaning locals spend about 28% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
183,118 residents · Virginia
Why Newport News ranks #5: 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.
Cities are ranked by median household income from Census ACS data. We also show cost-adjusted purchasing power (income ÷ cost index) to reveal which high-income cities actually deliver the most real-world spending power. 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.
Alexandria ranks #1 in Virginia for this analysis with a cost index of 126 and median income of $113,638.
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.
Alexandria (ranked #1) has a cost index of 126 and rent of $2,223/mo, while Richmond (ranked #7) has a cost index of 102 and rent of $1,574/mo — a 24-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 Alexandria is $2,223/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $328 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Alexandria is $665,724, which is 5.9× 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.