South ranking
24 Virginia cities ranked by cost of living, cheapest first.
Index 83
Index 128
Sorted by cost-of-living index — lowest (most affordable) first.
| # | City | Cost index | Median rent | Median income | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lynchburg | 83 | $972/mo | $56,243 | 79K | Compare → |
| 2 | Blacksburg | 88 | $1,237/mo | $42,012 | 45K | Compare → |
| 3 | Roanoke | 89 | $917/mo | $51,523 | 99K | Compare → |
| 4 | Harrisonburg | 91 | $1,060/mo | $56,050 | 52K | Compare → |
| 5 | Richmond | 98 | $1,227/mo | $59,606 | 227K | Compare → |
| 6 | Norfolk | 98 | $1,188/mo | $60,998 | 237K | Compare → |
| 7 | Newport News | 98 | $1,209/mo | $63,355 | 185K | Compare → |
| 8 | Portsmouth | 98 | $1,225/mo | $57,154 | 97K | Compare → |
| 9 | Hampton | 98 | $1,255/mo | $64,430 | 137K | Compare → |
| 10 | Tuckahoe | 98 | $1,388/mo | $89,920 | 48K | Compare → |
| 11 | Suffolk | 98 | $1,376/mo | $87,758 | 95K | Compare → |
| 12 | Chesapeake | 99 | $1,446/mo | $92,703 | 249K | Compare → |
| 13 | Virginia Beach | 99 | $1,568/mo | $87,544 | 458K | Compare → |
| 14 | Charlottesville | 101 | $1,357/mo | $67,177 | 46K | Compare → |
| 15 | Dale City | 123 | $1,796/mo | $109,558 | 74K | Compare → |
| 16 | Leesburg | 123 | $1,859/mo | $132,298 | 48K | Compare → |
| 17 | Alexandria | 123 | $1,983/mo | $113,179 | 158K | Compare → |
| 18 | Lake Ridge | 124 | $1,960/mo | $116,917 | 45K | Compare → |
| 19 | Centreville | 124 | $2,107/mo | $136,679 | 73K | Compare → |
| 20 | Reston | 124 | $2,109/mo | $135,503 | 62K | Compare → |
| 21 | Arlington | 124 | $2,227/mo | $137,387 | 236K | Compare → |
| 22 | Ashburn | 125 | $2,266/mo | $147,192 | 45K | Compare → |
| 23 | Burke | 126 | $2,745/mo | $172,432 | 44K | Compare → |
| 24 | McLean | 128 | $3,319/mo | $250,001 | 50K | Compare → |
Virginia has a handful of real selling points, and they're concrete rather than vague. A high-income state, by US standards and more than a couple of options are the headliners, plus 1 more.
Across the Virginia cities in our dataset, the median household earns about $99,484 — a meaningful step above the national median. Combined with the cost-of-living picture, that math works out better than it looks at first glance.
Virginia has 24 cities in our ranking, covering a real spread of size, density, and cost. People talk about a state like it's monolithic; in practice, the place you actually live varies a lot, and Virginia gives you a real menu to pick from.
Living in Virginia puts Atlantic coastline within driving range of most of the state. The practical upshot: weekend beach trips, easier access to seafood that hasn't been on a truck for a week, and a milder climate near the coast than the same latitude would have inland.
Reasons reflect aggregated city data for Virginia (Census ACS, BLS, BEA) plus well-known state-level geography. We only list points that are actually supported — different states show different sections.
Across Virginia, Lynchburg is the most affordable city we track (cost index 83, with median rent around $972/mo), while McLean sits at the top of the range with an index of 128—roughly 53% pricier than Lynchburg. Use the table above to compare any Virginia city directly against Lynchburg.
The other end of the ranking — priciest first.