Cost of living comparison
compared to
Virginia Beach vs. Washington Cost of Living Summary
Virginia Beach is 22.3% cheaper than Washington.
- Restaurants
-
pay 19.1% less in Virginia Beach
- Groceries
-
pay 24.0% less in Virginia Beach
- Transportation
-
pay 8.0% less in Virginia Beach
- Housing
-
pay 20.2% less in Virginia Beach
- Childcare
-
pay 49.2% less in Virginia Beach
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 29.5% less in Virginia Beach
- Clothing
-
pay 5.8% less in Virginia Beach
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, housing, restaurants, and transportation are lower in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach vs. Washington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Virginia Beach instead of Washington, you would:
pay 19.1% less for restaurants
|
Washington
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.20
|
$2.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.79
|
$2.14
|
|
Washington vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.0% less for groceries
|
Washington
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.43
|
$3.42
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.04
|
$5.79
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.19
|
$3.69
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.55
|
$3.86
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.74
|
$3.09
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$1.16
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.29
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$2.63
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.35
|
$1.04
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.64
|
$1.44
|
|
Washington vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of groceries
pay 8.0% less for transportation
|
Washington
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.53
|
$3.12
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$77.50
|
$70.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,699.74
|
$35,463.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.73
|
$15.09
|
|
Washington vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of transportation
pay 20.2% less for housing
|
Washington
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.41
|
$66.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,568.48
|
$1,751.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,088.16
|
$1,423.80
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.54
|
$128.02
|
|
Washington vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of housing
pay 49.2% less for childcare
|
Washington
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,650.00
|
$1,627.78
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$40,166.67
|
$16,105.33
|
|
Washington vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of childcare
pay 29.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.07
|
$5.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
$9.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$103.76
|
$43.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.75
|
$12.00
|
|
Washington vs. Virginia Beach - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.8% less for clothing
|
Washington
|
Virginia Beach
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$76.00
|
$60.92
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.40
|
$47.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.31
|
$109.45
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.22
|
$125.00
|
|
Washington 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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