What is the cost of living in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 97.9, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 99.8, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,287/month.

What is the median salary in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?

The median salary in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk is $69,292 annually (mean: $72,760). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, General and Operations Managers.

How safe is Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?

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

What are the schools like in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?

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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?

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

Is Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk a good place to relocate?

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk has a Life Score of 52.7/100 (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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk ranks #129 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

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC

BEA RPP 97.9 ranks #273 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

97.9
Cost index (US=100): $1,287
2BR rent / mo: $69,292
Median salary: 55.1
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk ranks #129 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (55.1/100), with its strongest marks in safety and schools.

#129
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), Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk ranks #129 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 97.9 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,287/mo, median salary $69,292; LiveAbility Score 55.1/100, strongest in safety and schools.

Signature: BEA RPP 97.9 ranks #273 of 387 scored metros for higher prices (dearer third).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 97.9 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,287/mo.

LiveAbility 55.1/100 puts Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk in the top third (#129 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk area is 741,260.

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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)

55 Top 34% higher than 66% 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

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk MSA; housing RPP 99.8 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,287/mo.

Studio

$1,121

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,139

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,287

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,790

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,159

/month

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk wages and employment

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk posts 741,260 total employment with median salary $69,292 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$69,292

Mean Salary

$72,760

Total Employment

741,260

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,780
Retail Salespersons	$30,820
General and Operations Managers	$100,340
Registered Nurses	$89,450
Cashiers	$29,320

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$10,407

per year

Toddler (Center)

$8,169

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,975

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk's composite Life Score is 52.7/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

30/100

Weak

Wages

73/100

Strong

Rent

51/100

Average

Crime

79/100

Strong

Schools

25/100

Weak

Childcare

53/100

Average

Environment

48/100

Average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk ranks #129 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 55.1/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Safety (79/100)

Safety

79
Schools

75
Job market

73
Air quality

63
Climate

59
Housing

51
Cost of living

30
Low hazard

16

What this shows Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk's strongest dimensions are safety and schools; 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk to

New York-Newark-Jersey City Niles North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Norwich-New London-Willimantic Ocala Odessa

Metros near Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk runs a $69,292 median salary at a 97.9 cost index, ranking #129 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

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