Virginia Beach, VA vs Springfield, MO
Moving from Virginia Beach to Springfield? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($373,678 → $272,938 median home) and taxes.
Virginia Beach vs Springfield 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 $91,187 in Springfield, MO (−$8,813).
Livability — Virginia Beach, VA: 68 · Springfield, MO: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach vs 3,205 sqft in Springfield ($187 vs $156 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Virginia Beach, VA | Springfield, MO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,344 | $15,252 | −$7,092 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,830 | −$23 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,390 | +$310 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $1,512 | −$360 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $2,400 | +$900 |
| Taxes | $10,303 | $9,116 | −$1,186 |
| Total | $43,952 | $36,500 | −$7,451 |
Side by side
| Metric | Virginia Beach, VA | Springfield, MO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.7 | 89.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 3.91% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.7% | 4.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 45 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.56 | $5.07 |
| Median home price | $373,678 | $272,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 2.4% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $156 |
| Median rent | $1,862 | $1,271 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 9.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 4.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.86% | 0.72% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | 2.55% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 23 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,800 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 14.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |