Tulsa, OK vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Tulsa to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($253,725 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Tulsa 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 Tulsa, OK, you'd need about $108,707 in Virginia Beach, VA (+$8,707).
Livability — Tulsa, OK: 71 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,745 sqft in Tulsa vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($134 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Tulsa, OK | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,224 | $22,344 | +$6,120 |
| Groceries | $4,667 | $4,853 | +$186 |
| Transportation | $3,575 | $3,080 | −$495 |
| Utilities | $1,440 | $1,872 | +$432 |
| Insurance | $4,400 | $1,500 | −$2,900 |
| Taxes | $9,670 | $10,303 | +$633 |
| Total | $39,976 | $43,952 | +$3,976 |
Side by side
| Metric | Tulsa, OK | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.9 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.14% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.1% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $253,725 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.8% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $134 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,352 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.0% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.99% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.75% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.94% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $4,400 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $300 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.3 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 2.95 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 94 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 27 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |