Honolulu vs Virginia Beach
The short version
- Virginia Beach is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the Honolulu area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $382,500 in Virginia Beach and $843,400 in Honolulu.
- Households earn more in Virginia Beach ($92,968 vs $86,504 median).
- Honolulu has the warmer winter: January highs of 81°F vs 50°F.
Side by side
| Honolulu, HI | Virginia Beach, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 341,868 | 453,737 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.6% | -1.2% |
| People per square mile | 5,639 | 1,854 |
| Median age | 43.0 | 37.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 41% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $86,504 | $92,968 |
| Median home value | $843,400 | $382,500 |
| Home value to income | 9.7× | 4.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,823 | $1,714 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.0 | 97.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 135.5 | 99.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,200 | $73,500 |
| Homeowners | 49% | 65% |
| Top state income tax | 11% | 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 4.5% | 5.77% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.9 | 23.4 |
| Work from home | 10% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 7% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.8% | 4% |
| Poverty rate | 11.9% | 8.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 81° / 67° | 50° / 32° |
| July high / low | 88° / 75° | 87° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 47 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 32 | 32 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 50 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.8 | 57.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 97% | 78% |
| Home prices, past year | +11.1% | +3.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +38.6% | +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: Honolulu: November to May. Virginia Beach: April to June and October.
Full monthly tables: Honolulu 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 $83,200 in Honolulu and $73,500 in Virginia Beach. Moving from Honolulu to Virginia Beach, you would need about $66,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Honolulu 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 Honolulu and Virginia Beach.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.