Virginia Beach, VA vs Provo, UT
Moving from Virginia Beach to Provo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($373,678 → $546,641 median home) and taxes.
Virginia Beach vs Provo 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 $97,973 in Provo, UT (−$2,027).
Livability — Virginia Beach, VA: 68 · Provo, UT: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach vs 1,921 sqft in Provo ($187 vs $260 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Virginia Beach, VA | Provo, UT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,344 | $21,900 | −$444 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,736 | −$117 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,450 | +$370 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $1,440 | −$432 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,200 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $10,303 | $9,160 | −$1,143 |
| Total | $43,952 | $41,885 | −$2,066 |
Side by side
| Metric | Virginia Beach, VA | Provo, UT |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.7 | 95.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 3.41% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.7% | 15.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 47 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.56 | $5.45 |
| Median home price | $373,678 | $546,641 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 6.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 1.9% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $260 |
| Median rent | $1,862 | $1,825 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 12.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 7.19% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 4.65% |
| Property tax rate | 0.86% | 0.45% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $450 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 13.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 260 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 92 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 24 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |