Trenton, NJ vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Trenton to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($446,377 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Trenton 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 Trenton, NJ, you'd need about $95,415 in Virginia Beach, VA (−$4,585).
Livability — Trenton, NJ: 56 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,129 sqft in Trenton vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($235 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Trenton, NJ | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $31,476 | $22,344 | −$9,132 |
| Groceries | $4,888 | $4,853 | −$35 |
| Transportation | $3,710 | $3,080 | −$630 |
| Utilities | $2,544 | $1,872 | −$672 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,500 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $21,636 | $10,303 | −$11,333 |
| Total | $65,554 | $43,952 | −$21,602 |
Side by side
| Metric | Trenton, NJ | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 102.4 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.12% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.8% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.83 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $446,377 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.1% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $235 | $187 |
| Median rent | $2,623 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 13.2% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.60% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 2.62% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,600 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $13,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 23.5 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 23 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 3 |