What is the cost of living in Roanoke?

Roanoke has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 93.6, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 78.5, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,254/month.

What is the median salary in Roanoke?

The median salary in Roanoke is $64,974 annually (mean: $68,323). Top occupations include Registered Nurses, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers.

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

What are the schools like in Roanoke?

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 Roanoke?

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

Is Roanoke a good place to relocate?

Roanoke has a Life Score of 49.8/100 (D), 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 a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Roanoke sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Roanoke ranks #104 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

Roanoke, VA

LiveAbility 56.3/100 places Roanoke #104 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

93.6
Cost index (US=100): $1,254
2BR rent / mo: $64,974
Median salary: 56.3
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Roanoke ranks #104 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (56.3/100), with its strongest marks in climate and safety.

#104
of 387 US metros · Above median: 8,811,195
metro-area population: 223
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,869
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: low hazard (16/100). 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), Roanoke ranks #104 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 93.6 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,254/mo, median salary $64,974; LiveAbility Score 56.3/100, strongest in climate and safety.

Signature: LiveAbility 56.3/100 places Roanoke #104 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 93.6 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,254/mo.

LiveAbility 56.3/100 puts Roanoke in the top third (#104 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Roanoke area is 144,240.

Roanoke 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)

56 Top 27% higher than 73% 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

Roanoke housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Roanoke MSA; housing RPP 78.5 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,254/mo.

Studio

$1,004

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,053

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,254

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,743

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,104

/month

Roanoke wages and employment

Roanoke posts 144,240 total employment with median salary $64,974.

Median Salary

$64,974

Mean Salary

$68,323

Total Employment

144,240

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Registered Nurses	$80,090
Retail Salespersons	$30,440
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$27,720
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$44,900
Cashiers	$29,060

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Roanoke 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 Roanoke area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$10,407

per year

Toddler (Center)

$8,169

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,975

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Roanoke's composite Life Score is 49.8/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

49/100

Average

Wages

35/100

Below average

Rent

57/100

Above average

Crime

80/100

Elite

Schools

24/100

Weak

Childcare

53/100

Average

Environment

48/100

Average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Roanoke ranks #104 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 56.3/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Climate (81/100)

Climate

81
Safety

80
Schools

76
Air quality

70
Housing

57
Cost of living

50
Job market

35
Low hazard

16

What this shows Roanoke's strongest dimensions are climate and safety; its weakest among scored dims is low hazard at 16/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Roanoke to

Eagle Pass Eau Claire El Centro El Paso Elizabethtown Elkhart-Goshen

Metros near Roanoke on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Roanoke 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

Roanoke cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Roanoke 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 Roanoke?

Roanoke runs a $64,974 median salary at a 93.6 cost index, ranking #104 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Roanoke's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Roanoke head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Roanoke
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.