Spokane, WA vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Spokane to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($423,842 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Spokane 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 Spokane, WA, you'd need about $96,826 in Virginia Beach, VA (−$3,174).
Livability — Spokane, WA: 59 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,123 sqft in Spokane vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($236 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Spokane, WA | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,588 | $22,344 | +$3,756 |
| Groceries | $5,246 | $4,853 | −$393 |
| Transportation | $4,075 | $3,080 | −$995 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $1,872 | +$324 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,500 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $6,160 | $10,303 | +$4,143 |
| Total | $37,117 | $43,952 | +$6,835 |
Side by side
| Metric | Spokane, WA | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.9 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.75% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.74 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $423,842 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.3% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $236 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,549 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.7% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.38% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.00% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.88% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $700 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.55 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 375 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 76 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 37 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 3 |