Washington, DC vs Roanoke, VA
Moving from Washington to Roanoke? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($583,013 → $301,139 median home) and taxes.
Washington vs Roanoke 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 Washington, DC, you'd need about $83,260 in Roanoke, VA (−$16,740).
Livability — Washington, DC: 39 · Roanoke, VA: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,286 sqft in Washington vs 3,320 sqft in Roanoke ($389 vs $151 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Washington, DC | Roanoke, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $28,992 | $16,836 | −$12,156 |
| Groceries | $5,318 | $4,853 | −$464 |
| Transportation | $3,855 | $3,080 | −$775 |
| Utilities | $2,748 | $1,872 | −$876 |
| Insurance | $1,400 | $1,500 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $17,710 | $9,549 | −$8,161 |
| Total | $60,023 | $37,690 | −$22,333 |
Side by side
| Metric | Washington, DC | Roanoke, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 109.5 | 91.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.87% | 4.05% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.2% | 0.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 40 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.23 | $5.19 |
| Median home price | $583,013 | $301,139 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.9× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.5% | 3.8% |
| Price per square foot | $389 | $151 |
| Median rent | $2,416 | $1,403 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 12.0% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.75% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.95% | 0.81% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $26,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 34 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 25.4 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.40 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 1,000 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 29 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |