Roanoke, VA vs Tampa, FL
Moving from Roanoke to Tampa? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($301,139 → $360,738 median home) and taxes.
Roanoke vs Tampa 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 Roanoke, VA, you'd need about $112,355 in Tampa, FL (+$12,355).
Livability — Roanoke, VA: 73 · Tampa, FL: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,320 sqft in Roanoke vs 2,564 sqft in Tampa ($151 vs $195 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Roanoke, VA | Tampa, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,836 | $24,216 | +$7,380 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,949 | +$95 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $4,800 | +$1,720 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $1,656 | −$216 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $4,200 | +$2,700 |
| Taxes | $9,549 | $4,642 | −$4,906 |
| Total | $37,690 | $44,463 | +$6,773 |
Side by side
| Metric | Roanoke, VA | Tampa, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.2 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.05% | 4.92% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.5% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 40 | 51 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.19 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $301,139 | $360,738 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.8% | -3.4% |
| Price per square foot | $151 | $195 |
| Median rent | $1,403 | $2,018 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.81% | 0.80% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.35 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |