Wichita, KS vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Wichita to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($225,557 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Wichita vs Virginia Beach 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 Wichita, KS, you'd need about $109,283 in Virginia Beach, VA (+$9,283).
Livability — Wichita, KS: 72 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,212 sqft in Wichita vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($119 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Wichita, KS | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,412 | $22,344 | +$7,932 |
| Groceries | $4,824 | $4,853 | +$29 |
| Transportation | $3,275 | $3,080 | −$195 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,872 | +$168 |
| Insurance | $3,300 | $1,500 | −$1,800 |
| Taxes | $11,043 | $10,303 | −$740 |
| Total | $38,558 | $43,952 | +$5,393 |
Side by side
| Metric | Wichita, KS | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.4 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.05% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.7% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 47 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.09 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $225,557 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.4× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.7% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $187 |
| Median rent | $1,201 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.70% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.70% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.33% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.93% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,300 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 410 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |