State relocation profile · Federal data
Virginia
Virginia sits in the dearer third of BEA RPP states, rent, wages, safety, schools and childcare below.
- 101.1
- Cost index (US=100)
- $1,369
- 2BR rent / mo
- $73,983
- Median salary
- 50.6
- Life Score
The verdict
As of June 2026, Virginia ranks #29 of 51 scored US states on the composite Life Score (50.6/100, D), with its strongest marks in safety and wages.
- #29 of 51
- Life Score among scored states
- 50.6
- Life Score · D
- 101.1
- Cost of living (US=100)
- $73,983
- Median annual salary (BLS)
Weakest dimension: cost of living (30/100). State-level figures are a benchmark, individual metros can diverge sharply, so weigh each dimension against your own priorities.
According to PlainRelocate's state Life Score composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA inputs), Virginia ranks #29 of 51 scored US states by Life Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 101.1 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,369/mo, median salary $73,983; Life Score 50.6/100 (D), strongest in safety and wages.
Signature: BEA RPP 101.1 ranks #36 of 51 states for higher prices (dearer third of the corpus).
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 101.1 lands in the dearer third of US states (cuts at 93.3 / 100.7). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent averages $1,369/mo statewide, against a BLS median salary of $73,983.
Composite Life Score 50.6/100 (D) sits mid-pack (#29 of 51).
Metro book is dense (9 MSAs); drill a named metro before treating the state average as a destination.
Life Score plate
Sheet VA · Virginia 50.6/100 · D · #29 of 51
LIFE-D · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · RPP-PAR · LEAD-SAFETY · BOOK-FULL
- LIFE-D Life Score D
- RANK-MID #29/51
- PHOTO-FINISH ±0.0 pts
- RPP-PAR RPP 101.1
- LEAD-SAFETY Lead · safety
- BOOK-FULL 7/7 dims
Nearest Life Score peer: Michigan (+ 0.0 pts)
Instrument codes from this state’s Life Score grade, corpus rank, peer gap, BEA RPP posture, lead dimension, and dimension book, not a moving recommendation.
Life Score neighbourhood around Virginia
Lowest/highest poles plus states nearest Virginia on composite Life Score. Full ladder: /rankings/.
Virginia childcare costs
DOL state-average center rates for Virginia (infant $10,407/yr leads the book).
Virginia Life Score breakdown
Virginia composites to 50.6/100 (D) across 7 of 7 dimensions; corpus place #29 of 51.
Virginia - Life Score dimensions
Percentile vs all US states (100 = best in the nation for that dimension)
- Safety
Safety
74 /100
- Wages
Wages
68 /100
- Childcare
Childcare
59 /100
- Environment
Environment
42 /100
- Rent
Rent
40 /100
- Schools
Schools
38 /100
- Cost of living
Cost of living
30 /100
What this shows Virginia's strongest dimensions are safety and wages; its weakest among scored dims is cost of living at 30/100. Each dimension is a federal-data percentile; the composite folds 7 of 7 into one comparable figure.
States near Virginia on cost or Life Score
Nearest neighbors to Virginia on BEA RPP or composite Life Score, a different lens than the in-state metro list below.
Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)
Metros in Virginia
Explore detailed relocation data for 9 metropolitan areas in Virginia. Virginia contains 9 metropolitan statistical areas in our dataset - Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and more - each with its own rent, wage and crime profile that can diverge sharply from the statewide average.
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford metro · Compare metros · Cost vs quality · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Virginia cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Virginia wages and safety follow BLS OEWS and FBI UCR. Research use only, verify at the agency source before you move.