Moving to United States from Virginia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Virginia to United States — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Virginia to United States, you would find that United States is 5.3% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $82,230 in United States to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Virginia to United States.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $82,230
To maintain the same standard of living in United States
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.9% less
Groceries
pay 10.6% less
Transportation
pay 0.4% more
Housing
pay 0.9% more
Childcare
pay 19.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.9% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in United States cost about 30% more than cities in Virginia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Virginia and United States stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Virginia performs better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
United States performs significantly better than Virginia across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Virginia generally does better on employment & economy, though United States leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
United States performs significantly better than Virginia across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Richmond | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in United States than Virginia?
Day-to-day costs in United States run about 10% higher than Virginia on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to United States?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,558 in United States for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from United States?
Working remotely from United States's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Virginia and United States.
How is healthcare in United States compared to Virginia?
Virginia performs better than United States across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in United States compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Washington is 66°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Washington receives around 41.5 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
What language do they speak in United States?
Both Virginia and United States share the same official language: English.
