Manchester, NH vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Manchester to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($526,340 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Manchester 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 Manchester, NH, you'd need about $92,520 in Virginia Beach, VA (−$7,480).
Livability — Manchester, NH: 62 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,710 sqft in Manchester vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($292 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Manchester, NH | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,632 | $22,344 | −$3,288 |
| Groceries | $4,935 | $4,853 | −$82 |
| Transportation | $2,955 | $3,080 | +$125 |
| Utilities | $2,940 | $1,872 | −$1,068 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $1,500 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $6,681 | $10,303 | +$3,622 |
| Total | $44,143 | $43,952 | −$192 |
Side by side
| Metric | Manchester, NH | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.6 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.69% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.01 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $526,340 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $292 | $187 |
| Median rent | $2,136 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.88% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.80% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.2 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 120 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 81 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |