Chesapeake vs Portsmouth
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $246,900 in Portsmouth and $378,400 in Chesapeake.
- Households earn more in Chesapeake ($95,373 vs $60,491 median).
- Chesapeake is growing faster: +2.4% since 2020 vs -1.2%.
Side by side
| Chesapeake, VA | Portsmouth, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 255,332 | 96,777 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.4% | -1.2% |
| People per square mile | 754 | 2,906 |
| Median age | 37.9 | 35.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37% | 24% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $95,373 | $60,491 |
| Median home value | $378,400 | $246,900 |
| Home value to income | 4.0× | 4.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,586 | $1,300 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 97.9 | 97.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 99.8 | 99.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $73,500 | $73,500 |
| Homeowners | 74% | 58% |
| Top state income tax | 5.75% | 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.77% | 5.77% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.8 | 23.7 |
| Work from home | 13% | 9% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| Poverty rate | 9.4% | 17.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 51° / 34° | 50° / 34° |
| July high / low | 89° / 73° | 89° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 49 in | 46 in |
| Snowfall per year | 6 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 36 | 42 |
| Nights below freezing | 41 | 32 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 80.9 | 54.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 78% | 78% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.6% | +3.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43.4% | +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: Chesapeake: April to June and October to November. Portsmouth: April to May and October.
Full monthly tables: Chesapeake weather by month and Portsmouth weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $73,500 in Chesapeake and $73,500 in Portsmouth. Moving from Chesapeake to Portsmouth, you would need about $75,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Chesapeake and Portsmouth
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Chesapeake and Portsmouth.
Which would you pick?
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