Virginia Beach, VA vs Worcester, MA
Moving from Virginia Beach to Worcester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($373,678 → $482,611 median home) and taxes.
Virginia Beach vs Worcester 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 $105,383 in Worcester, MA (+$5,383).
Livability — Virginia Beach, VA: 68 · Worcester, MA: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach vs 1,761 sqft in Worcester ($187 vs $284 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Virginia Beach, VA | Worcester, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,344 | $26,184 | +$3,840 |
| Groceries | $4,853 | $4,938 | +$85 |
| Transportation | $3,080 | $3,210 | +$130 |
| Utilities | $1,872 | $3,180 | +$1,308 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,800 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $10,303 | $16,011 | +$5,708 |
| Total | $43,952 | $55,322 | +$11,371 |
Side by side
| Metric | Virginia Beach, VA | Worcester, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.7 | 103.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 5.78% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 37 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.56 | $5.86 |
| Median home price | $373,678 | $482,611 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | 1.8% |
| Price per square foot | $187 | $284 |
| Median rent | $1,862 | $2,182 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.5% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.73% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.75% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.86% | 1.39% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 3.97% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 29 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.4 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 200 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 87 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 28 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |