Columbus, OH vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Columbus to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($333,537 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Columbus vs Virginia Beach at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Columbus, OH, you'd need about $103,267 in Virginia Beach, VA (+$3,267).
Livability — Columbus, OH: 69 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,474 sqft in Columbus vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($202 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Columbus, OH | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,288 | $22,344 | +$4,056 |
| Groceries | $4,706 | $4,853 | +$147 |
| Transportation | $3,025 | $3,080 | +$55 |
| Utilities | $2,100 | $1,872 | −$228 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,500 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $9,711 | $10,303 | +$592 |
| Total | $39,130 | $43,952 | +$4,822 |
Side by side
| Metric | Columbus, OH | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.6 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 54 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.38 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $333,537 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.4× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $202 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,524 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.24% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.50% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.46% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 19.5 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |