Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median home value$382,500
Virginia Beach $340,900
Median rent$1,714/mo
Virginia Beach $1,478/mo
Cost-burdened households35%
Virginia Beach 35%
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach County456,349 residentsVirginia Beach City Public Schools
64
C+
Suburbgrade score
2nd of 11 Virginia Beach suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
64
Virginia Beach median 54
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Virginia Beach yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 64 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Virginia Beach is like to live in, by category
Bars show Virginia Beach against Virginia Beach. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 65/100
C+
Within-state proficiency—
Virginia Beach median 13th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.1
Virginia Beach median 14.3
Graduation rate90%
Virginia Beach median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 72/100
B−
Housing cost index109
Virginia Beach 100
Eff. tax rate0.78%
Virginia Beach 0.78%
Local sales tax5.77%
Virginia Beach median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 62/100
C
Mean commute23.4 min
Virginia Beach 24.9 min
Under 30 minutes70%
Virginia Beach 66%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Virginia Beach median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 71/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés78
Virginia Beach median 23 · within 2 miles
Groceries6
Virginia Beach median 2 · within 2 miles
Parks37
Virginia Beach median 20 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 63/100
C+
Median household income$92,968
Virginia Beach $82,330
Unemployment4.0%
Virginia Beach 4.8%
Professional occupations47%
Virginia Beach 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Virginia Beach yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Virginia Beach on housing & affordability
Virginia Beach's weakest grade is C−. One suburb is within 25 miles and scores higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Chesapeake17 mi from Virginia BeachC− 52 D+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Virginia Beach
Is Virginia Beach, VA a good place to live?
Virginia Beach scores 64 out of 100, 2nd of 11 Virginia Beach suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Virginia Beach expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $382,500, 12% above the Virginia Beach median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.78%. $1,714/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Virginia Beach?
Schools grade C+. The districts serving Virginia Beach sit at the — within-state proficiency percentile, with a 90% graduation rate and a 16.1 student–teacher ratio. Virginia Beach is served by Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Virginia Beach?
The mean commute is 23.4 min, with 70% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Virginia Beach?
Within two miles there are 6 groceries, 78 restaurants and cafés and 37 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Virginia Beach old or new?
The median home in Virginia Beach was built in 1984 — close to the Virginia Beach median of 1983. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 73% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six Virginia Beach lists
Best Virginia Beach suburbs for familiesMost affordable Virginia Beach suburbsBest Virginia Beach suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown Virginia BeachMost walkable Virginia Beach suburbsBest Virginia Beach suburbs for young professionalsCompare Virginia Beach
Every Virginia Beach suburb, side by side