Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. Virginia Beach Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 63.8% more expensive than Virginia Beach.
- Restaurants
-
pay 36.3% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 48.7% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 27.1% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 98.6% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 2.8 times more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 77.6% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 14.3% more in New York City
New York City vs. Virginia Beach Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of Virginia Beach, you would:
pay 36.3% more for restaurants
|
Virginia Beach
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.00
|
$26.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$14.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.75
|
$3.95
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.12
|
$2.97
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 48.7% more for groceries
|
Virginia Beach
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.11
|
$4.78
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.14
|
$9.47
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.82
|
$5.13
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.79
|
$6.03
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.46
|
$7.93
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$3.11
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.72
|
$0.96
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.29
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.63
|
$3.08
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.04
|
$1.83
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$2.04
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 27.1% more for transportation
|
Virginia Beach
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.81
|
$4.31
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.00
|
$140.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,227.00
|
$35,458.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.09
|
$20.44
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 98.6% more for housing
|
Virginia Beach
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.25
|
$71.57
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,826.25
|
$4,447.32
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,438.00
|
$3,217.65
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$160.11
|
$164.80
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 2.8 times more for childcare
|
Virginia Beach
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,606.52
|
$3,379.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,105.33
|
$60,882.67
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 77.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Virginia Beach
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$8.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.92
|
$6.50
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.11
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.75
|
$121.41
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.00
|
$22.50
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.3% more for clothing
|
Virginia Beach
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.23
|
$75.86
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.33
|
$54.45
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$118.06
|
$120.38
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.50
|
$132.00
|
|
Virginia Beach vs. New York City - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: Virginia Beach vs. New York City
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New York City or Virginia Beach. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.