Worcester, MA vs Virginia Beach, VA
Moving from Worcester to Virginia Beach? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($482,611 → $373,678 median home) and taxes.
Worcester 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 Worcester, MA, you'd need about $94,892 in Virginia Beach, VA (−$5,108).
Livability — Worcester, MA: 56 · Virginia Beach, VA: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,761 sqft in Worcester vs 2,677 sqft in Virginia Beach ($284 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Worcester, MA | Virginia Beach, VA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,184 | $22,344 | −$3,840 |
| Groceries | $4,938 | $4,853 | −$85 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $3,080 | −$130 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,872 | −$1,308 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,500 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $16,011 | $10,303 | −$5,708 |
| Total | $55,322 | $43,952 | −$11,371 |
Side by side
| Metric | Worcester, MA | Virginia Beach, VA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.0 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.78% | 5.24% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | 4.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.86 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $482,611 | $373,678 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.8% | 2.5% |
| Price per square foot | $284 | $187 |
| Median rent | $2,182 | $1,862 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 12.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 5.73% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | 5.75% |
| Property tax rate | 1.39% | 0.86% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $15,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | 3.97% |
| Avg commute (min) | 29 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 17.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 200 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 87 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 28 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |