What salary do you need to live in Alexandria, VA?
For a single person: about $90,500/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose VA-taxed take-home covers roughly $2,246 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and an effective 4.8% Virginia income tax.
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Alexandria worker earns about $71,060/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $73,000 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 3% short.
Single person — est. essentials $4,696/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,696/mo
$73,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $5,635/mo
$90,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $7,044/mo
$116,500/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $6,023/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,023/mo
$89,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,228/mo
$109,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $9,035/mo
$139,500/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $7,359/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,359/mo
$111,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,831/mo
$135,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $11,039/mo
$176,500/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $8,554/mo
Tight
take-home covers $8,554/mo
$130,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $10,265/mo
$162,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $12,831/mo
$210,000/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($2,246) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Virginia's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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