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Living in Virginia ยท 2026

Is $58,000 enough to live in Virginia?

Single adult ยท VA ยท 2026 tax brackets ยท Real cost-of-living data

Statewide verdict:Comfortable

Monthly take-home

$3,803

Avg monthly expenses

$2,809

Avg monthly surplus

$994

Savings potential

~26%

After-tax take-home in Virginia

Gross salary$58,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $4,854
State income taxโˆ’ $3,078
Social Securityโˆ’ $3,596
Medicareโˆ’ $841
Annual take-home$45,631
Effective tax rate21.33%

How $58,000 feels in Virginia cities

Rent: HUD FMR 2026 ยท Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan ร— COL ยท Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES ร— COL

Virginia Beach

COL index: 1.15ร— national avg

Comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,450
Food
$462
Transport
$201
Utilities
$190
Healthcare
$230
Total: $2,533/mo
Surplus: $1,270/mo
Rent burden: 38.1% โ€” High (35โ€“50%)
Full Virginia Beach analysis โ†’

Norfolk

COL index: 1.05ร— national avg

Comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,350
Food
$440
Transport
$184
Utilities
$173
Healthcare
$210
Total: $2,357/mo
Surplus: $1,446/mo
Rent burden: 35.5% โ€” High (35โ€“50%)
Full Norfolk analysis โ†’

Chesapeake

COL index: 1.13ร— national avg

Comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,500
Food
$462
Transport
$198
Utilities
$186
Healthcare
$226
Total: $2,572/mo
Surplus: $1,231/mo
Rent burden: 39.4% โ€” High (35โ€“50%)
Full Chesapeake analysis โ†’

Richmond

COL index: 0.87ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$900
Food
$449
Transport
$152
Utilities
$144
Healthcare
$174
Total: $1,819/mo
Surplus: $1,984/mo
Rent burden: 23.7% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Richmond analysis โ†’

Arlington

COL index: 1.58ร— national avg

Very tight
Rent (1BR)
$2,400
Food
$682
Transport
$277
Utilities
$261
Healthcare
$316
Total: $3,936/mo
Surplus: $-133/mo
Rent burden: 63.1% โ€” Unaffordable (> 50%)
Full Arlington analysis โ†’

Alexandria

COL index: 1.48ร— national avg

Manageable
Rent (1BR)
$2,200
Food
$638
Transport
$259
Utilities
$244
Healthcare
$296
Total: $3,637/mo
Surplus: $166/mo
Rent burden: 57.9% โ€” Unaffordable (> 50%)
Full Alexandria analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $3,803 ($45,636/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$1,902

per month

  • โ€บRent / mortgage
  • โ€บGroceries
  • โ€บUtilities
  • โ€บInsurance
  • โ€บMinimum debt payments
  • โ€บTransportation
Wants30%

$1,141

per month

  • โ€บDining out
  • โ€บStreaming services
  • โ€บGym
  • โ€บHobbies
  • โ€บTravel
  • โ€บShopping
Savings20%

$761

per month

  • โ€บEmergency fund
  • โ€บ401(k) / IRA
  • โ€บInvestments
  • โ€บDown payment fund
  • โ€บDebt payoff (extra)

Needs / year

$22,818

Wants / year

$13,691

Savings / year

$9,127

Salary Intelligence

Below comfortable level in Virginia Beach

Rent would consume 38% of take-home income โ€” above the 35% stress threshold. A higher salary or lower-cost housing is needed for financial stability in this city.

Lifestyle score: 6.2/10 (Good)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $58,000 salary comfortably supports a good single lifestyle in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with approximately $1,270/month (~33% of take-home) available for savings โ€” meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.

Purchasing Power

Virginia Beach's above-average cost of living (index: 1.15) means $58,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $50,435 in an average-cost US city, or $59,513 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.

State & National Benchmark

$58,000 is slightly above the Virginia individual median of $51,200 (+13%). The state household median is $87,740.

State individual median

$51,200

+13%

State household median

$87,740

-34%

Tax reduction strategies

Maximize 401(k) Contributions โ€” Up to $5,170 in federal tax (22% bracket)
401(k) Age 50+ Catch-Up Contribution โ€” Up to $2,775 additional tax savings (37% bracket)

$58,000 vs. Virginia income benchmarks

Individual median (Virginia)

$51,200

+13% vs. this salary

Household median (Virginia)

$87,740

-34% vs. this salary

Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023

Related salary insights

Explore other salary levels in Virginia

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Reviewed by

Finance Editor

CPA, 10+ years in personal finance

Data Sources

Data updated monthly using government datasets.