Arlington vs Virginia Beach
The short version
- Virginia Beach is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 10% lower than in the Arlington area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $382,500 in Virginia Beach and $895,000 in Arlington.
- Households earn more in Arlington ($142,114 vs $92,968 median).
- Virginia Beach has the warmer winter: January highs of 50°F vs 45°F.
- Arlington gets far more snow: 14 inches a year vs 3.
Side by side
| Arlington, VA | Virginia Beach, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 236,254 | 453,737 |
| Growth since 2020 | n/a | -1.2% |
| People per square mile | 9,088 | 1,854 |
| Median age | 35.5 | 37.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 77% | 41% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $142,114 | $92,968 |
| Median home value | $895,000 | $382,500 |
| Home value to income | 6.3× | 4.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,322 | $1,714 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.9 | 97.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.1 | 99.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,700 | $73,500 |
| Homeowners | 41% | 65% |
| Top state income tax | 5.75% | 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.77% | 5.77% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.2 | 23.4 |
| Work from home | 35% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 14% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.3% | 4% |
| Poverty rate | 7.4% | 8.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 45° / 30° | 50° / 32° |
| July high / low | 90° / 72° | 87° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 42 in | 47 in |
| Snowfall per year | 14 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 40 | 32 |
| Nights below freezing | 60 | 50 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 66.8 | 57.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 59% | 78% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.6% | +3.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +33.9% | +43.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Arlington: April to June and September to October. Virginia Beach: April to June and October.
Full monthly tables: Arlington weather by month and Virginia Beach weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,700 in Arlington and $73,500 in Virginia Beach. Moving from Arlington to Virginia Beach, you would need about $67,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Arlington and Virginia Beach
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Arlington and Virginia Beach.
Which would you pick?
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