Killeen, TX vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Killeen to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($252,591 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Killeen 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 Killeen, TX, you'd need about $105,835 in Virginia Beach, VA (+$5,835).
Livability — Killeen, TX: 72 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,156 sqft in Killeen vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($120 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Killeen, TX | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $15,936 | $22,344 | +$6,408 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $4,853 | +$207 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,080 | −$595 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $1,872 | +$36 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,500 | −$2,100 |
| Taxes | $5,849 | $10,303 | +$4,454 |
| Total | $35,543 | $43,952 | +$8,409 |
Side by side
| Metric | Killeen, TX | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.3 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.50% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.3% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 46 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.25 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $252,591 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $120 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,328 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.56% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |