Virginia Beach, VA vs Lancaster, PA
Moving from Virginia Beach to Lancaster? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($373,678 → $388,207 median home) and taxes.
Virginia Beach vs Lancaster 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 $99,009 in Lancaster, PA (−$991).
Livability — Virginia Beach, VA: 68 · Lancaster, PA: 64 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach vs 2,254 sqft in Lancaster ($187 vs $222 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Virginia Beach, VA | Lancaster, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,344 | $18,312 | −$4,032 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,915 | +$62 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,440 | +$360 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $2,316 | +$444 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,200 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $10,303 | $9,202 | −$1,100 |
| Total | $43,952 | $39,385 | −$4,567 |
Side by side
| Metric | Virginia Beach, VA | Lancaster, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.7 | 96.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 3.38% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.7% | 3.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 50 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.56 | $5.51 |
| Median home price | $373,678 | $388,207 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 4.6% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $222 |
| Median rent | $1,862 | $1,526 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.86% | 1.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |