What is the cost of living in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 92.7, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 74.4, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,094/month.

What is the median salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?

The median salary in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford is $62,501 annually (mean: $67,075). Top occupations include Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers.

How safe is Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?

The violent crime rate in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford area is 223 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1590 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?

The state of VA has 1,869 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.9:1. Charter schools make up 0.4% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?

Infant center-based childcare in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford area averages $10,407 per year. Preschool averages $7,975/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford a good place to relocate?

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford has a Life Score of 58.7/100 (C-), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is an above-average score, Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford outperforms most scored metros on the combined measure.

Where does Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ranks #18 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA

LiveAbility 63.9/100 places Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford #18 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

92.7
Cost index (US=100): $1,094
2BR rent / mo: $62,501
Median salary: 63.9
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ranks #18 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (63.9/100), with its strongest marks in housing and air quality.

#18
of 387 US metros · Excellent: 8,811,195
metro-area population: 223
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,869
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: low hazard (17/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ranks #18 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 92.7 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,094/mo, median salary $62,501; LiveAbility Score 63.9/100, strongest in housing and air quality.

Signature: LiveAbility 63.9/100 places Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford #18 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 92.7 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,094/mo.

LiveAbility 63.9/100 puts Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford in the top third (#18 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford area is 59,150.

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

64 Top 5% higher than 95% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA; housing RPP 74.4 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,094/mo.

Studio

$830

/month

1 Bedroom

$834

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,094

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,312

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,448

/month

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford wages and employment

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford posts 59,150 total employment with median salary $62,501.

Median Salary

$62,501

Mean Salary

$67,075

Total Employment

59,150

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$45,950
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,300
Cashiers	$28,770
Retail Salespersons	$31,780
Stockers and Order Fillers	$34,880

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford area from NCES.

Schools

1,869

Enrollment

1,253,620

Student:Teacher

13.9:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$10,407

per year

Toddler (Center)

$8,169

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,975

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford's composite Life Score is 58.7/100 (C-), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

56/100

Above average

Wages

51/100

Average

Rent

84/100

Elite

Crime

81/100

Elite

Schools

23/100

Weak

Childcare

55/100

Above average

Environment

47/100

Average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ranks #18 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 63.9/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Housing (84/100)

Housing

84
Air quality

83
Safety

81
Schools

77
Cost of living

57
Climate

57
Job market

51
Low hazard

17

What this shows Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford's strongest dimensions are housing and air quality; its weakest among scored dims is low hazard at 17/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford to

Cleveland Coeur d'Alene College Station-Bryan Colorado Springs Columbia Columbia

Metros near Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford?

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford runs a $62,501 median salary at a 92.7 cost index, ranking #18 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.