City comparison
Reston, VA is about 175 miles (275 km) from Virginia Beach, VA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 200 miles, or about 3 h 30 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Reston, VA to Virginia Beach, VA takes about 20 min, covering roughly 175 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Virginia Beach has a population of 457,900, vs 62,339 in Reston — about 7.3× larger by population. By land area, Virginia Beach covers about 245 sq mi vs 15 sq mi for Reston.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Reston | Virginia Beach | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,109/mo | $1,568/mo | 34.5% higher in Reston |
| Median home value | $591,900 | $343,700 | 72.2% higher in Reston |
| Median household income | $135,503 | $87,544 | 54.8% higher in Reston |
| Groceries index | 104.3 | 96.9 | 7.6% higher in Reston |
| Utilities index | 105.6 | 90.0 | 17.3% higher in Reston |
| Transportation index | 102.2 | 98.8 | 3.4% higher in Reston |
| Healthcare index | 101.6 | 98.3 | 3.5% higher in Reston |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Reston, you'd need $79,769 in Virginia Beach to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Virginia Beach, VA is about 20.2% cheaper overall than Reston, VA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 50% higher in Reston than in Virginia Beach. If you earn $80,000 in Reston, you'd need about $63,816 in Virginia Beach to keep the same standard of living.