Virginia Beach, VA vs Hartford, CT
Moving from Virginia Beach to Hartford? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($373,678 → $400,167 median home) and taxes.
Virginia Beach vs Hartford 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 $105,701 in Hartford, CT (+$5,701).
Livability — Virginia Beach, VA: 68 · Hartford, CT: 59 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach vs 2,374 sqft in Hartford ($187 vs $211 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Virginia Beach, VA | Hartford, CT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,344 | $23,700 | +$1,356 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,930 | +$77 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,720 | +$640 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $3,480 | +$1,608 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,600 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $10,303 | $15,460 | +$5,157 |
| Total | $43,952 | $52,890 | +$8,938 |
Side by side
| Metric | Virginia Beach, VA | Hartford, CT |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.7 | 103.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 5.42% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.7% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 40 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.56 | $5.88 |
| Median home price | $373,678 | $400,167 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 5.2% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $211 |
| Median rent | $1,862 | $1,975 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 15.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 6.35% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 6.99% |
| Property tax rate | 0.86% | 2.16% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | 2.07% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 32.2 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 150 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |