Moving to Virginia from Utah

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What to Expect

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

If you moved from Utah to Virginia, you would find that Virginia is 21.7% more expensive than Utah. A $75,000 salary in Utah would need to be roughly $88,069 in Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $88,069

To maintain the same standard of living in Virginia

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 15.0% more

Groceries

pay 29.9% more

Transportation

pay 0.2% more

Housing

pay 10.8% more

Childcare

pay 78.4% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 15.1% 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 Utah and Virginia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

UT
224
VA
232
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

UT
1576
VA
1628

Utah performs better than Virginia across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

UT
8.1%
VA
6.7%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

UT
32.3%
VA
35.3%

Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Virginia leads in uninsured rate.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

UT
$455,000
VA
$360,700
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

UT
$1,405
VA
$1,514

Utah generally does better on what about housing?, though Virginia leads in median home value.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

UT
92.9%
VA
90.1%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

UT
22 min
VA
28 min

Utah performs better than Virginia across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

UT
3.5%
VA
3.4%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

UT
$66,207
VA
$69,111

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

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

UT
78.6 yrs
VA
77.6 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

UT
21%
VA
28%

Utah generally does better on family life, though Virginia leads in bachelor's degree or higher.

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.

Salt Lake City Rain: 16.1 in/yr (409 mm)
64° / 42°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Salt Lake City Richmond
Jan–Mar 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) 53°/32°F (12°/0°C)
Apr–Jun 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) 78°/55°F (26°/13°C)
Jul–Sep 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) 86°/65°F (30°/19°C)
Oct–Dec 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) 61°/39°F (16°/4°C)
View all months
Month Salt Lake City Richmond
Jan 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C)
Feb 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C)
Mar 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C)
Apr 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C)
May 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C)
Jun 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C)
Jul 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C)
Aug 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C)
Sep 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C)
Oct 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C)
Nov 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C)
Dec 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°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 Utah?

Day-to-day costs in Virginia run about 17% higher than Utah 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 $22,017 in Virginia for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Virginia safe?

Utah performs better than Virginia across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Virginia compared to Utah?

Utah generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Virginia leads in uninsured rate.

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

The average high temperature in Richmond is 70°F, compared to 64°F in Salt Lake City. Richmond receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Salt Lake City gets 16.1 in.

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