What salary do you need to live in Arlington, VA?
For a single person: about $90,000/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 Arlington worker earns about $71,060/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $72,500 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 2% short.
Single person — est. essentials $4,676/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,676/mo
$72,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $5,611/mo
$90,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $7,014/mo
$116,000/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $5,993/mo
Tight
take-home covers $5,993/mo
$89,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,192/mo
$108,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $8,990/mo
$138,500/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $7,322/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,322/mo
$110,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,786/mo
$135,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $10,983/mo
$175,500/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $8,511/mo
Tight
take-home covers $8,511/mo
$129,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $10,213/mo
$161,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $12,767/mo
$209,000/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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