Moving to Washington from Virginia
What to Expect
Considering a move from Virginia to Washington? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Virginia to Washington, you would find that Washington is 2.9% more expensive than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $77,100 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Olympia averages 60°F vs 70°F in Richmond, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Virginia and Washington.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $77,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Washington
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 3.8% more
Groceries
pay 6.2% less
Transportation
pay 11.2% more
Housing
pay 8.2% more
Childcare
pay 3.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.5% more
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 Washington cost about 5% less than cities in Virginia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Washington compared to Virginia.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Virginia performs better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Washington performs significantly better than Virginia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Virginia performs better than Washington across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Washington 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
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Virginia generally does better on employment & economy, though Washington leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Virginia generally does better on family life, though Washington leads in life expectancy.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Richmond | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Washington than Virginia?
On average Washington is around 3% pricier than Virginia, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Washington?
Budget about $19,275 for 3 months in Washington (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Washington safe?
Virginia performs better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Washington compared to Virginia?
Washington performs significantly better than Virginia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Washington compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
