Southeast · Updated October 2026
Virginia in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,792/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
23.4%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
5.75%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.71%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
100.3
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
18th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where Virginia stands out: the 10th lowest violent crime and the 8th lowest natural-disaster risk among the 50 states.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 8.5% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 15th highest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Richmond (Richmond Intl Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 50°F | 30°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 69°F | 46°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 88°F | 67°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 71°F | 50°F |
$1,651/mo two-bedroom · $1,517 one-bedroom (Richmond, VA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Richmond is a river city with a strong arts and food scene, complicated Confederate history and whitewater rapids running through downtown. Affordable for the mid-Atlantic, humid in summer, and increasingly attractive to people leaving DC.
$1,667/mo two-bedroom · $1,488 one-bedroom (Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC HUD Metro FMR Area)
Virginia Beach is a large, spread-out coastal city with a big Navy presence, a resort strip and quiet residential neighbourhoods. Family-oriented, moderately priced, hurricane-exposed and heavily car-dependent.
$2,438/mo two-bedroom · $2,204 one-bedroom (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area)
Arlington is Washington's densest Virginia suburb — Metro access, federal and defence employment, Amazon's second headquarters and excellent schools. Very expensive, very walkable by suburban standards.
$1,642/mo two-bedroom · $1,442 one-bedroom (Charlottesville, VA MSA)
Charlottesville is the University of Virginia's town at the foot of the Blue Ridge, with vineyards, hiking and Jeffersonian architecture. Expensive for its size, academically driven, and beautiful.
$2,438/mo two-bedroom · $2,204 one-bedroom (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area)
Alexandria is a historic riverfront city on Washington's doorstep, with cobbled Old Town streets, Metro service and federal employment. Expensive, walkable and popular with government professionals.
$1,117/mo two-bedroom · $971 one-bedroom (Lynchburg, VA MSA)
Lynchburg is a hilly central Virginia city on the James River with several colleges, including Liberty University. Affordable, conservative and close to the Blue Ridge.
$1,464/mo two-bedroom · $1,250 one-bedroom (Roanoke, VA HUD Metro FMR Area)
Roanoke sits in the Blue Ridge with a star on the mountain, a greenway network and access to the Appalachian Trail. Very affordable, scenic, with a healthcare-anchored economy.
$1,264/mo two-bedroom · $1,044 one-bedroom (Harrisonburg, VA MSA)
Harrisonburg is a Shenandoah Valley city built around James Madison University, with farms and mountains all around. Young, diverse and affordable, with a lively small downtown.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. Virginia’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 5.75% (Virginia tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 8.5% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,792 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,596, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $33 more than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 100.3 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 111.9 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 23.4% of the state’s median household income of $92,090.
Virginia recorded 217.9 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 10th lowest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are hurricanes and flooding. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Virginia’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 18th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Richmond, Virginia Beach, Arlington, Charlottesville and Alexandria. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.