Virginia Beach, VA vs Fargo, ND
Moving from Virginia Beach to Fargo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($373,678 → $327,854 median home) and taxes.
Virginia Beach vs Fargo 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 Virginia Beach, VA, you'd need about $91,213 in Fargo, ND (−$8,787).
Livability — Virginia Beach, VA: 68 · Fargo, ND: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach vs 2,592 sqft in Fargo ($187 vs $193 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Virginia Beach, VA | Fargo, ND | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,344 | $13,872 | −$8,472 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,850 | −$3 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,130 | +$50 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $1,332 | −$540 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $2,100 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $10,303 | $8,083 | −$2,219 |
| Total | $43,952 | $33,367 | −$10,585 |
Side by side
| Metric | Virginia Beach, VA | Fargo, ND |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.7 | 89.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 3.11% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.7% | 8.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.56 | $5.07 |
| Median home price | $373,678 | $327,854 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 3.2% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $193 |
| Median rent | $1,862 | $1,156 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 8.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 7.04% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.86% | 1.20% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 18 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 12.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 290 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | -2 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |