What is the cost of living in Winchester?

Winchester has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 96.5, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 90.0, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,573/month.

What is the median salary in Winchester?

The median salary in Winchester is $64,897 annually (mean: $68,247). Top occupations include Retail Salespersons, Stockers and Order Fillers, Fast Food and Counter Workers.

How safe is Winchester?

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

What are the schools like in Winchester?

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 Winchester?

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

Is Winchester a good place to relocate?

Winchester has a Life Score of 47.6/100 (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 Winchester sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Winchester ranks #239 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

Winchester, VA-WV

BEA RPP 96.5 sits mid-pack (#249 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

96.5
Cost index (US=100): $1,573
2BR rent / mo: $64,897
Median salary: 48.5
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Winchester ranks #239 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (48.5/100), with its strongest marks in safety and schools.

#239
of 387 US metros · Near 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 (15/100). 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), Winchester ranks #239 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 96.5 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,573/mo, median salary $64,897; LiveAbility Score 48.5/100, strongest in safety and schools.

Signature: BEA RPP 96.5 sits mid-pack (#249 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 96.5 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,573/mo.

LiveAbility 48.5/100 keeps Winchester in the middle third (#239 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Winchester area is 60,660.

Winchester 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)

49 Top 62% higher than 38% 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

Winchester housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Winchester MSA; housing RPP 90.0 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,573/mo.

Studio

$1,133

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,255

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,573

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,965

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,639

/month

Winchester wages and employment

Winchester posts 60,660 total employment with median salary $64,897.

Median Salary

$64,897

Mean Salary

$68,247

Total Employment

60,660

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Retail Salespersons	$30,780
Stockers and Order Fillers	$36,170
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,360
Cashiers	$29,600
Registered Nurses	$95,650

Schools & Education

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

Infant (Center)

$10,407

per year

Toddler (Center)

$8,169

per year

Preschool (Center)

$7,975

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Winchester's composite Life Score is 47.6/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

36/100

Below average

Wages

60/100

Above average

Rent

27/100

Weak

Crime

79/100

Strong

Schools

25/100

Weak

Childcare

52/100

Average

Environment

49/100

Average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Winchester ranks #239 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 48.5/100 - 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
Air quality

63
Job market

60
Cost of living

36
Climate

35
Housing

27
Low hazard

15

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

Compare Winchester to

Lafayette Lafayette-West Lafayette Lake Charles Lake Havasu City-Kingman Lakeland-Winter Haven Lancaster

Metros near Winchester on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Winchester 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

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

Winchester runs a $64,897 median salary at a 96.5 cost index, ranking #239 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

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