Cost of living comparison
compared to
Virginia Beach vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Virginia Beach is 4.6% more expensive than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.4% more in Virginia Beach
- Groceries
-
pay 15.2% less in Virginia Beach
- Transportation
-
pay 0.3% more in Virginia Beach
- Housing
-
pay 4.5% more in Virginia Beach
- Childcare
-
pay 2.8% less in Virginia Beach
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.9% more in Virginia Beach
- Clothing
-
pay 21.3% more in Virginia Beach
The cost of clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, and transportation in Virginia Beach are more expensive than in North Carolina. Expenses including groceries and childcare are lower in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Virginia Beach instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 17.4% more for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.14
|
|
North Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.2% less for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$3.42
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$5.79
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$3.69
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$3.86
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$3.09
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$1.16
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.29
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.63
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$1.04
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.44
|
|
North Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of groceries
pay 0.3% more for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$3.12
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$35,463.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$15.09
|
|
North Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of transportation
pay 4.5% more for housing
|
North Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$66.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$1,751.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$1,423.80
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$128.02
|
|
North Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of housing
pay 2.8% less for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$1,627.78
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$16,105.33
|
|
North Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of childcare
pay 6.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$5.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$43.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$12.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 21.3% more for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$60.92
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$47.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$109.45
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$125.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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