Virginia cities compared
All 10 Virginia metropolitan areas on the same $100,000 salary and the same $400,000 home. Lynchburg leaves you $15,612 a year better off than Washington — and none of it is income tax, which is identical everywhere in the state.
Lynchburg to Washington: $15,612 a year apart, same tax code
Virginia has 10 metropolitan areas with a published price index, and on $100,000 with a $400,000 home they are not interchangeable: $80,496 of purchasing power in Lynchburg against $64,883 in Washington — $15,612 a year, 15.6% of the salary, without leaving the state.
That gap is unusually easy to trust, because the income tax is identical in every row. Federal $13,170, FICA $7,650, Virginia state income tax $4,936, and no county or city in Virginia levies its own. Two things move down this table and only two: what a house costs in property tax, and what everything costs at the till.
| Metropolitan area | Buys | Behind the best | Prices | Property tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lynchburg | $80,496 | best | 89.363 | 0.58% |
| 2Staunton-Stuarts Draft | $78,963 | −$1,532 | 91.128 | 0.57% |
| 3Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | $77,068 | −$3,428 | 92.71 | 0.70% |
| 4Roanoke | $75,764 | −$4,731 | 93.618 | 0.83% |
| 5Harrisonburg | $75,641 | −$4,855 | 94.892 | 0.62% |
| 6Winchester | $74,771 | −$5,725 | 96.45 | 0.53% |
| 7Richmond | $72,760 | −$7,735 | 97.858 | 0.76% |
| 8Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $72,295 | −$8,201 | 97.941 | 0.86% |
| 9Charlottesville | $71,994 | −$8,502 | 99.146 | 0.72% |
| 10Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | $64,883 | −$15,612 | 108.884 | 0.90% |
Purchasing power on a $100,000 salary with a $400,000 home: take-home after federal, FICA, Virginia income tax and property tax, divided by that area’s price level. The income tax is identical in every row — the whole of the spread is property tax and the price level. Price index 100 is the US average.
1 of the 10 price above the national average and 9 below it — inside one state, under one tax code. A single state-level cost of living number averages that away and tells you about none of them.
Property tax runs from 0.53% in Winchester to 0.90% in Washington — on a $400,000 home that is $2,128 against $3,596 a year, a difference of $1,469. Each rate is that area's counties averaged and weighted by how many homes are in each, because a house pays the tax and a rural county of a few thousand homes should not weigh the same as an urban one of several hundred thousand.
The 45 Virginia comparisons, resolved
Every pair of Virginia cities, each on its own page with the full working, the break-even salary and the property tax bill house by house. Ordered by the population that could plausibly be choosing between them:
Virginia Beach vs Washington — Virginia Beach by $7,412 a year. Price level 97.941 against 108.884; property tax 0.86% against 0.90%.
Richmond vs Washington — Richmond by $7,877 a year. Price level 97.858 against 108.884; property tax 0.76% against 0.90%.
Roanoke vs Washington — Roanoke by $10,881 a year. Price level 93.618 against 108.884; property tax 0.83% against 0.90%.
Lynchburg vs Washington — Lynchburg by $15,612 a year. Price level 89.363 against 108.884; property tax 0.58% against 0.90%.
Charlottesville vs Washington — Charlottesville by $7,110 a year. Price level 99.146 against 108.884; property tax 0.72% against 0.90%.
Blacksburg vs Washington — Blacksburg by $12,184 a year. Price level 92.71 against 108.884; property tax 0.70% against 0.90%.
Washington vs Winchester — Winchester by $9,887 a year. Price level 108.884 against 96.45; property tax 0.90% against 0.53%.
Harrisonburg vs Washington — Harrisonburg by $10,757 a year. Price level 94.892 against 108.884; property tax 0.62% against 0.90%.
Staunton vs Washington — Staunton by $14,080 a year. Price level 91.128 against 108.884; property tax 0.57% against 0.90%.
Richmond vs Virginia Beach — Richmond by $465 a year. Price level 97.858 against 97.941; property tax 0.76% against 0.86%.
Roanoke vs Virginia Beach — Roanoke by $3,469 a year. Price level 93.618 against 97.941; property tax 0.83% against 0.86%.
Lynchburg vs Virginia Beach — Lynchburg by $8,201 a year. Price level 89.363 against 97.941; property tax 0.58% against 0.86%.
Charlottesville vs Virginia Beach — Virginia Beach by $301 a year. Price level 99.146 against 97.941; property tax 0.72% against 0.86%.
Blacksburg vs Virginia Beach — Blacksburg by $4,772 a year. Price level 92.71 against 97.941; property tax 0.70% against 0.86%.
Virginia Beach vs Winchester — Winchester by $2,476 a year. Price level 97.941 against 96.45; property tax 0.86% against 0.53%.
Harrisonburg vs Virginia Beach — Harrisonburg by $3,346 a year. Price level 94.892 against 97.941; property tax 0.62% against 0.86%.
Staunton vs Virginia Beach — Staunton by $6,668 a year. Price level 91.128 against 97.941; property tax 0.57% against 0.86%.
Richmond vs Roanoke — Roanoke by $3,004 a year. Price level 97.858 against 93.618; property tax 0.76% against 0.83%.
Lynchburg vs Richmond — Lynchburg by $7,735 a year. Price level 89.363 against 97.858; property tax 0.58% against 0.76%.
Charlottesville vs Richmond — Richmond by $766 a year. Price level 99.146 against 97.858; property tax 0.72% against 0.76%.
Blacksburg vs Richmond — Blacksburg by $4,307 a year. Price level 92.71 against 97.858; property tax 0.70% against 0.76%.
Richmond vs Winchester — Winchester by $2,011 a year. Price level 97.858 against 96.45; property tax 0.76% against 0.53%.
Harrisonburg vs Richmond — Harrisonburg by $2,880 a year. Price level 94.892 against 97.858; property tax 0.62% against 0.76%.
Richmond vs Staunton — Staunton by $6,203 a year. Price level 97.858 against 91.128; property tax 0.76% against 0.57%.
And 21 more pairs of Virginia cities, each with its own page.
Every Virginia city, and what it can be compared with
The areas themselves, largest first. Each line has what defines that city on the two measures that matter here, and then every comparison it takes part in:
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria — 6.3m people across 23 counties. Price level 108.884, housing 151.134, property tax 0.90%. Compared with Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Winchester, Harrisonburg, Staunton.
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk — 1.8m people across 18 counties. Price level 97.941, housing 99.805, property tax 0.86%. Compared with Washington, Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Winchester, Harrisonburg, Staunton.
Richmond — 1.3m people across 17 counties. Price level 97.858, housing 99.136, property tax 0.76%. Compared with Washington, Virginia Beach, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Winchester, Harrisonburg, Staunton.
Roanoke — 315k people across 6 counties. Price level 93.618, housing 78.531, property tax 0.83%. Compared with Washington, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Winchester, Harrisonburg, Staunton.
Lynchburg — 263k people across 5 counties. Price level 89.363, housing 63.912, property tax 0.58%. Compared with Washington, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Winchester, Harrisonburg, Staunton.
Charlottesville — 223k people across 5 counties. Price level 99.146, housing 107.041, property tax 0.72%. Compared with Washington, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Blacksburg, Winchester, Harrisonburg, Staunton.
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford — 182k people across 5 counties. Price level 92.71, housing 74.371, property tax 0.70%. Compared with Washington, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Winchester, Harrisonburg, Staunton.
Winchester — 145k people across 3 counties. Price level 96.45, housing 90.009, property tax 0.53%. Compared with Washington, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Harrisonburg, Staunton.
Harrisonburg — 136k people across 2 counties. Price level 94.892, housing 82.272, property tax 0.62%. Compared with Washington, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Winchester, Staunton.
Staunton-Stuarts Draft — 126k people across 3 counties. Price level 91.128, housing 68.232, property tax 0.57%. Compared with Washington, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Winchester, Harrisonburg.
The counties behind each rate
Nobody pays a metropolitan area's property tax rate. They pay their county's, and the figures above are those county rates averaged and weighted by how many homes each county holds. Opened up:
Washington averages 0.90% across 23 counties: Fairfax County 1.01%, Montgomery County 0.87%, Prince George's County 1.15%, District of Columbia 0.58%, Prince William County 0.98%, Loudoun County 0.88%, Arlington County 0.90%, Frederick County 1.02%, and 15 more. Inside the area the rate runs from 0.51% in Clarke County to 1.15% in Prince George's County, which is $2,566 a year on a $400,000 home — a real spread inside a single labour market.
Virginia Beach averages 0.86% across 18 counties: Virginia Beach city 0.80%, Norfolk city 1.01%, Chesapeake city 0.82%, Newport News city 1.03%, Hampton city 0.97%, Portsmouth city 1.07%, Suffolk city 0.93%, James City County 0.66%, and 10 more. Inside the area the rate runs from 0.42% in Mathews County to 1.07% in Portsmouth city, which is $2,584 a year on a $400,000 home — a real spread inside a single labour market.
Richmond averages 0.76% across 17 counties: Henrico County 0.72%, Chesterfield County 0.78%, Richmond city 0.86%, Hanover County 0.67%, Petersburg city 0.92%, Prince George County 0.78%, Dinwiddie County 0.60%, Powhatan County 0.63%, and 9 more. Inside the area the rate runs from 0.43% in Amelia County to 0.97% in Hopewell city, which is $2,151 a year on a $400,000 home — a real spread inside a single labour market.
Roanoke averages 0.83% across 6 counties: Roanoke city 1.01%, Roanoke County 0.88%, Franklin County 0.53%, Botetourt County 0.65%, Salem city 0.91%, Craig County 0.46%. Inside the area the rate runs from 0.46% in Craig County to 1.01% in Roanoke city, which is $2,230 a year on a $400,000 home — a real spread inside a single labour market.
Lynchburg averages 0.58% across 5 counties: Bedford County 0.46%, Lynchburg city 0.84%, Campbell County 0.46%, Amherst County 0.51%, Appomattox County 0.53%. Inside the area the rate runs from 0.46% in Bedford County to 0.84% in Lynchburg city, which is $1,529 a year on a $400,000 home — a real spread inside a single labour market.
Charlottesville averages 0.72% across 5 counties: Albemarle County 0.74%, Charlottesville city 0.81%, Fluvanna County 0.65%, Nelson County 0.54%, Greene County 0.64%. Inside the area the rate runs from 0.54% in Nelson County to 0.81% in Charlottesville city, which is $1,111 a year on a $400,000 home — a real spread inside a single labour market.
Blacksburg averages 0.70% across 5 counties: Montgomery County 0.77%, Pulaski County 0.64%, Giles County 0.63%, Floyd County 0.52%, Radford city 0.70%. Inside the area the rate runs from 0.52% in Floyd County to 0.77% in Montgomery County, which is $984 a year on a $400,000 home — a real spread inside a single labour market.
Winchester averages 0.53% across 3 counties: Frederick County 0.51%, Hampshire County 0.36%, Winchester city 0.77%. Inside the area the rate runs from 0.36% in Hampshire County to 0.77% in Winchester city, which is $1,618 a year on a $400,000 home — a real spread inside a single labour market.
Harrisonburg averages 0.62% across 2 counties: Rockingham County 0.53%, Harrisonburg city 0.78%. Inside the area the rate runs from 0.53% in Rockingham County to 0.78% in Harrisonburg city, which is $994 a year on a $400,000 home — a real spread inside a single labour market.
Staunton averages 0.57% across 3 counties: Augusta County 0.49%, Staunton city 0.71%, Waynesboro city 0.67%. Inside the area the rate runs from 0.49% in Augusta County to 0.71% in Staunton city, which is $875 a year on a $400,000 home — a real spread inside a single labour market.
Which is the limitation of every figure on this page, stated rather than buried: an area rate is an average, and your address decides what you actually pay. The county pages linked above carry the rate, the assessment basis and the source for each one.
Where Virginia cities sit among the 380 in the country
A state ranking answers "where in Virginia". It does not answer whether Virginia is an expensive place to begin with, and the two questions have different answers often enough to be worth separating.
Against all 380 metropolitan areas the Bureau of Economic Analysis prices, Washington ranks 15 and Lynchburg ranks 297, counting from the most expensive. The national median area sits at 93.492 — Monroe — so 7 of these 10 Virginia areas are dearer than the typical American metropolitan area and 3 are cheaper.
Washington is in the most expensive tenth of the country, which is worth knowing before reading its position in the state table as merely "the dear one".
The distinction matters for a specific reason. Everything on this page holds the income tax constant because these cities share a state; the moment a move crosses a state line that stops being true, and the comparison becomes the harder one — which is what Virginia against every other state is for.
The tax that is the same in all 10
Worth spelling out, because it is what makes the ranking above readable at all. On $100,000, in every one of these areas:
Federal income tax — $13,170. Set by Congress, identical everywhere in the United States.
Social Security and Medicare — $7,650. Also federal, and also flat across the country up to the Social Security ceiling.
Virginia income tax — $4,936. One set of brackets for the whole state, one standard deduction, applied identically in every city on this page.
Local income tax — $0. Virginia does not permit counties, cities or school districts to levy their own. That is not a modelling shortcut, it is the law, and it is the condition on which these pages get published: in the eleven states that do permit it, the levying jurisdictions do not line up with metropolitan areas and no honest rate can be assigned.
Which leaves property tax as the only tax in the whole comparison that moves — from $2,128 to $3,596 a year on the same $400,000 home — and the price level as the only other thing. Two variables, both measured, both sourced. It is as clean as a cost-of-living comparison gets.
Lynchburg stays on top whether you rent or buy
A ranking built on one salary and one house value is worth exactly as much as its assumptions, so here are the same 10 areas resolved again with those assumptions changed.
Renting, with no property tax at all: Lynchburg still leads, by $14,895 over Washington. The order does not depend on owning a house.
On $60,000 instead of $100,000: Lynchburg still leads. The gap narrows to $10,298 — smaller in dollars, but a larger share of a smaller salary.
On $250,000: Lynchburg still leads, and by $34,747 — the spread widens with income, because the price level applies to everything you have left after tax.
This is the same discipline applied to a single published figure elsewhere on this site: a number without its range is half a number. Every page linked above lets you set your own salary, your own house and your own horizon, and recomputes the whole comparison rather than scaling it.
How this is worked out, and what it does not claim
Every row is the same calculation: gross salary in, federal income tax and FICA out, Virginia income tax out, property tax on a $400,000 home out — then what is left divided by that area's price level, so the figure is what the money buys rather than what the payslip says.
The price index is the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity, 2024, published per metropolitan area with a documented method and broken into housing, goods, utilities and services. Which counties make up each area comes from the Census Bureau delineation file, joined by CBSA code and never by name — there are thirty "Washington County" in the United States and a join on names would have failed silently.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area, 2024 (released 19 February 2026) — read 2026-09-10. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area
US Census Bureau — Core Based Statistical Areas delineation file, 2023 (which counties form each metropolitan area) — read 2026-09-10. https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/demo/metro-micro/delineation-files.html
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey — county effective property tax rates and housing units — read 2026-08-31. https://data.census.gov/
What it does not claim: that the city at the top is the better place to live. This measures what a salary buys. Schools, the commute, the weather and how far you are from your family are not in it, and on a move inside one state they are usually what actually decides it.
It also assumes one salary, one house value and a buyer rather than a renter. Every page linked above lets you change all three, and the answer moves with them — on some pairs enough to change which city comes out ahead.
Where to go next
Questions
- Which city in Virginia leaves you best off?
- Lynchburg, at $80,496 of purchasing power on $100,000 with a $400,000 home — $15,612 a year more than Washington at the other end of the table. Because the income tax is identical everywhere in Virginia, that ranking is made of two things only: the price level and property tax.
- Which is the cheapest city in Virginia?
- Lynchburg, at 89.363 on the Bureau of Economic Analysis price index where 100 is the US average, against 108.884 in Washington. Cheapest is not the same as best off, though: property tax is set separately and can move a household by $1,286 a year on the same house.
- Does income tax differ between cities in Virginia?
- No. Virginia sets one set of brackets for the whole state, and it does not let counties or cities levy their own income tax. On $100,000 the bill is federal $13,170, FICA $7,650 and state $4,936 in every one of these 10 areas. That is what makes comparing them clean.
- How much does cost of living vary inside Virginia?
- From 89.363 to 108.884 on the price index — 19.5 points between Lynchburg and Washington. In take-home terms that is $15,612 a year of purchasing power on the same salary.
- How many Virginia city comparisons are there?
- 45, one page each, every pair of the 10 metropolitan areas the Bureau of Economic Analysis prices in Virginia. Each resolves the same way — income tax, property tax and price level — and each shows the break-even salary in both directions.