What salary do you need to live in Virginia Beach, VA?
For a single person: about $79,000/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose VA-taxed take-home covers roughly $1,713 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 Virginia Beach worker earns about $49,430/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $63,500 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 22% short.
Single person — est. essentials $4,198/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,198/mo
$63,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $5,038/mo
$79,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $6,297/mo
$102,500/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $5,488/mo
Tight
take-home covers $5,488/mo
$81,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $6,586/mo
$98,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $8,232/mo
$125,000/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $6,893/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,893/mo
$103,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,272/mo
$125,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $10,340/mo
$163,500/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $8,007/mo
Tight
take-home covers $8,007/mo
$121,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $9,608/mo
$150,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $12,011/mo
$194,500/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($1,713) + 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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