Kingsport, TN vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Kingsport to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($246,242 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Kingsport 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 Kingsport, TN, you'd need about $114,983 in Virginia Beach, VA (+$14,983).
Livability — Kingsport, TN: 75 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,062 sqft in Kingsport vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($123 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Kingsport, TN | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,200 | $22,344 | +$6,144 |
| Groceries | $4,736 | $4,853 | +$117 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,080 | −$50 |
| Utilities | $1,608 | $1,872 | +$264 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $1,500 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $4,400 | $10,303 | +$5,903 |
| Total | $32,273 | $43,952 | +$11,678 |
Side by side
| Metric | Kingsport, TN | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 85.0 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.96% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $4.84 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $246,242 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.2% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $123 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,350 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 7.6% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.55% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.63% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $350 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.9 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 600 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |