Virginia Beach, Virginia
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Virginia Beach.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Virginia Beach compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 457,066City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $90,685Incorporated place (ACS)15% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 122ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)22% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $366,300City limits (ACS)21% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,649City limits (ACS)22% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.3%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 24 minNear U.S. avg (25 min)U.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3327% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 129.4annualized per 100k · citywide79% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 1760.7annualized per 100k · citywide43% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 85°F2.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 33°FNear U.S. avg (34°F)U.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 46.6 in42% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2439% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Virginia Beach with another city
Virginia Beach (pop. 457,066) sits in Virginia. Households here report a median income near $90,685; our housing-derived cost index is about 122 (above the national housing-cost baseline). Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $366,300 push many newcomers toward renting first.
Federal-contractor suburbs and Atlantic coastal towns pull different budgets. Pack for 85°F summer peaks; winter mornings often settle near 33°F. Commutes average near 24 minutes one-way, with walkability near 33/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 3.3% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates near 129.4 per 100k compare favorably with many peer metros, though local blocks still differ.
Virginia Beach sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Virginia Beach with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Virginia Beach city, 1600000US5182000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN518100000000003 (Virginia Beach city, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00013769 OCEANA NAS)
Last updated 2026-07-28