Cost of Living
per year
per month
How South Hill's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in South Hill?
Your $100,000 in South Hill has the same purchasing power as $80,678 in the average US city. You'd need $19,322 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of South Hill's cost index of 124, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to South Hill, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously no state income tax and paychecks come in above the us average, plus 1 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Washington is one of the handful of US states with no state income tax on wages, so the only income-tax bite on a paycheck in South Hill is federal. For a household earning $100k, that's a tangible four-figure difference every year compared to a comparable salary in California or New York. (Washington taxes some long-term capital gains over a high threshold, but ordinary wages and salaries are not taxed.)
Median household income in South Hill is $103,707, a step above the national median of about $75k. The local job market leans toward industries that pay better than average, and that shows up in the take-home for most working households here.
South Hill reports about 2,516 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
Reasons are pulled from South Hill's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Now and then. South Hill's winters are cool rather than truly cold — about 38°F on average — so most of the precipitation falls as rain. A snowy morning happens a few times a season; sustained accumulation is rare.
Mild on the cold side. South Hill's winter average of about 38°F is the kind of weather where you want a jacket but the heating bill is manageable. Snow is rare, frost is occasional, and the lawn never really browns out.
Pleasantly warm. South Hill's summer averages around 75°F — comfortable for outdoor evenings, hot enough on peak days to warrant AC but mild compared to the Sun Belt.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 9. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 9 or colder should survive a typical winter in South Hill. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
South Hill is at about 568 feet (173 m) above sea level. High enough to be solidly above any coastal concern, low enough that altitude isn't a factor.
Average for an American city. South Hill's reported crime rate of about 2,516 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Yes, noticeably. South Hill's cost-of-living index runs 124, about 24% above the US baseline. Housing usually accounts for most of the markup; groceries and services run higher too but with less drama.
Mostly car-dependent. South Hill's Walk Score of 33/100 means a handful of errands work on foot — depending on the neighborhood — but most residents still need a car for the rest.
Roughly $86,765 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in South Hill runs about $1,864/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.