Virginia Beach, VA vs Washington, DC
Moving from Virginia Beach to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($373,678 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Virginia Beach vs Washington 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 $112,097 in Washington, DC (+$12,097).
Livability — Virginia Beach, VA: 68 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($187 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Virginia Beach, VA | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,344 | $28,992 | +$6,648 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $5,318 | +$465 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,855 | +$775 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $2,748 | +$876 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,400 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $10,303 | $17,710 | +$7,408 |
| Total | $43,952 | $60,023 | +$16,071 |
Side by side
| Metric | Virginia Beach, VA | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.7 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.7% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.56 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $373,678 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $389 |
| Median rent | $1,862 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.86% | 0.95% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 34 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 29 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |