Savannah, GA vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Savannah to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($348,054 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Savannah 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 Savannah, GA, you'd need about $101,891 in Virginia Beach, VA (+$1,891).
Livability — Savannah, GA: 68 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,945 sqft in Savannah vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($170 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Savannah, GA | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,504 | $22,344 | +$840 |
| Groceries | $4,815 | $4,853 | +$38 |
| Transportation | $3,515 | $3,080 | −$435 |
| Utilities | $1,656 | $1,872 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,500 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $10,322 | $10,303 | −$19 |
| Total | $43,912 | $43,952 | +$39 |
Side by side
| Metric | Savannah, GA | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 95.9 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.07% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.7% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.46 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $348,054 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.6% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $170 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,792 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.9% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.38% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.39% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.94% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.4 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.15 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 370 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |