Flint, MI vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Flint to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($197,858 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Flint 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 Flint, MI, you'd need about $108,726 in Virginia Beach, VA (+$8,726).
Livability — Flint, MI: 70 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,170 sqft in Flint vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($120 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Flint, MI | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,152 | $22,344 | +$9,192 |
| Groceries | $4,703 | $4,853 | +$150 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,080 | −$1,495 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,872 | −$444 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,500 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $8,673 | $10,303 | +$1,630 |
| Total | $34,719 | $43,952 | +$9,233 |
Side by side
| Metric | Flint, MI | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.9 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 8.49% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -1.4% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.11 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $197,858 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 6.4% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $120 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,096 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.47% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |