Moving to Virginia from Washington
What to Expect
Considering a move from Washington to Virginia? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Washington to Virginia, you would find that Virginia is 2.8% cheaper than Washington. A $75,000 salary in Washington would need to be roughly $72,900 in Virginia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Richmond averages 70°F vs 60°F in Olympia, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Washington and Virginia.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $72,900
To maintain the same standard of living in Virginia
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 3.7% less
Groceries
pay 6.6% more
Transportation
pay 10.1% less
Housing
pay 7.5% less
Childcare
pay 3.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.5% 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 Virginia cost about 5% more than cities in Washington.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Virginia compared to Washington.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Virginia performs significantly 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 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 significantly 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 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
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though Virginia leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington generally does better on family life, though Virginia leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 | Olympia | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Olympia | Richmond |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) |
| Feb | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) |
| Mar | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) |
| Apr | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) |
| May | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) |
| Jun | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) |
| Jul | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) |
| Aug | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) |
| Sep | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) |
| Oct | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) |
| Nov | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) |
| Dec | 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Virginia than Washington?
On average Virginia is about 3% less expensive than Washington, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Virginia?
Budget about $18,225 for 3 months in Virginia (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Virginia safe?
Virginia performs significantly better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Virginia compared to Washington?
Washington performs better than Virginia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Virginia compared to Washington?
The average high temperature in Richmond is 70°F, compared to 60°F in Olympia. Richmond receives around 43.6 in of rainfall per year, while Olympia gets 50.0 in.
