Moving to Virginia from Missouri

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Missouri to Virginia — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Missouri to Virginia, you would find that Virginia is 23.2% more expensive than Missouri. A $75,000 salary in Missouri would need to be roughly $96,219 in Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Missouri to Virginia.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $96,219

To maintain the same standard of living in Virginia

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 16.6% more

Groceries

pay 23.7% more

Transportation

pay 0.7% less

Housing

pay 28.1% more

Childcare

pay 59.5% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 26.3% more

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Key Indicator Comparison

How Missouri and Virginia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MO
453
VA
232
Property crime rateFBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MO
2070
VA
1628

Virginia performs significantly better than Missouri across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rateUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

MO
8.9%
VA
6.7%
Adult obesity rateCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

MO
37.5%
VA
35.3%

Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Missouri leads in diabetes rate.

What about housing?

Median home valueUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

MO
$215,600
VA
$360,700
Median rentUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

MO
$996
VA
$1,514

Missouri performs better than Virginia across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet accessUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

MO
88.3%
VA
90.1%
Average commuteUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

MO
24 min
VA
28 min

Missouri generally does better on infrastructure, though Virginia leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rateBureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

MO
3.3%
VA
3.4%
GDP per capitaBureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

MO
$56,344
VA
$69,111

Virginia generally does better on employment & economy, though Missouri leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancyOECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

MO
75.1 yrs
VA
77.6 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higherUS Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

MO
22%
VA
28%

Virginia performs significantly better than Missouri across all family life metrics.

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

ColumbiaRain: 46.3 in/yr (1175 mm)
66°/46°F

Avg. annual high / low

RichmondRain: 43.6 in/yr (1108 mm)
70°/48°F

Avg. annual high / low

MonthsColumbiaRichmond
Jan–Mar47°/28°F (8°/-2°C)53°/32°F (12°/0°C)
Apr–Jun76°/55°F (24°/13°C)78°/55°F (26°/13°C)
Jul–Sep86°/65°F (30°/18°C)86°/65°F (30°/19°C)
Oct–Dec55°/36°F (13°/2°C)61°/39°F (16°/4°C)
View all months
MonthColumbiaRichmond
Jan40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C)47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C)
Feb45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C)51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C)
Mar56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C)60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C)
Apr67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C)70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C)
May75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C)78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C)
Jun85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C)86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C)
Jul90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C)90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C)
Aug88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C)88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C)
Sep80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C)81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C)
Oct68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C)71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C)
Nov55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C)61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C)
Dec42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C)51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Virginia than Missouri?

Day-to-day costs in Virginia run about 28% higher than Missouri on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Virginia?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $24,055 in Virginia for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Virginia safe?

Virginia performs significantly better than Missouri across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Virginia compared to Missouri?

Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Missouri leads in diabetes rate.

What's the weather like in Virginia compared to Missouri?

The average high temperature in Richmond is 70°F, compared to 66°F in Columbia. Richmond receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Columbia gets 46.3 in.

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