$37,154 median income · $804 median rent · #1 home prices in Virginia
Located in
Tazewell County, VirginiaRichlands, nestled in the heart of Tazewell County as part of the Bluefield WV-VA area, boasts the first spot for affordability in Virginia. With a $106,217 median home value that anchors an impressively low 86 overall cost of living index.
The best things to do the area include visiting Lincolnshire Park, Douthat State Park, Museum of the Middle Appalachians, Historic Crab Orchard Museum, Back of the Dragon, Big Cedar Creek Falls, The Channels Natural Area Preserve, and Vincent’s Vineyard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$41,944 median income · $794 median rent · #7 home prices in Virginia
Located in
Covington city, VirginiaLocated in Alleghany County, Covington is the second cheapest city in Virginia.
While it’s impressive that you can rent a place in Covington for under $600/month, that’s not what lands Covington so high on this list. It’s because Covington has the #7 cheapest homes in Virginia, at a median price of $158,023. And it’s not like homes are cheap because the residents aren’t paid well — with a median income of $41,944, Covington residents enjoy the tenth best ratio of home price to income in the state. Living in Covington, you’ll notice your savings growing as fast as the waters of the local Falling Springs Waterfall.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$40,896 median income · $714 median rent · #6 home prices in Virginia
Located in
Smyth County, VirginiaMarion takes the title of third cheapest place in Virginia with the lowest rent prices you’ll see on this list. With a median rent of $714, Marion residents pay less than a third what most Virginians pay for rent. Residents of Marion earn a median income of $40,896 and pay a median price of $157,966 for homes, giving the town a solid home price to income ratio. As a bonus, living in Marion puts you minutes away from the breathtaking Hungry Mother State Park. You can’t put a price on that! Marion is the county seat of Smyth County in the southwestern part of Virginia.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$44,423 median income · $836 median rent · #5 home prices in Virginia
Located in
Danville city, VirginiaWith a population of 42,214, Danville is the biggest city to make this list, proving you don’t have to move to a small town to live economically. With a median rent of $836 and a median income of $44,423, renting in Danville won’t take full advantage of the city’s affordability. However, because home prices are cheap at a median price of $156,399, Danville has the ninth lowest ratio of home price to income in the state. If you stick to free hobbies like strolling down Danville’s Riverwalk Trail, you’ll have even more money in your pocket at the end of every week. Danville is located in the south-central part of Virginia, on the border of North Carolina.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$50,404 median income · $801 median rent · #12 home prices in Virginia
Located in
Bristol city, VirginiaLocated in the southwestern part of the state on the North Carolina border, Bristol ranks as the fifth most affordable city in Virginia and is known as the birthplace of country music. Bristol’s median home price is $201,474 and median income is $50,404, giving the city the 17th best ratio of home price to income in Virginia. With a median rent of $801, it’s one of the least impressive cities for renters on this list, but it’s still way more affordable than most places in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$38,675 median income · $743 median rent · #10 home prices in Virginia
Located in
Galax city, VirginiaAnother southwestern VA city, Galax is the sixth cheapest place to call home in Virginia. The median rent in Galax is $743, the second lowest on this list. Homes in Galax go for a median price of $182,063 and residents earn a median income of $38,675, so it’s quite affordable whether you’re renting or buying here. And if you fancy fiddling or picking at the banjo, definitely check out the Blue Ridge Music Center.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$46,727 median income · $808 median rent · #2 home prices in Virginia
Located in
Martinsville city, VirginiaLocated about 50 miles south of Roanoke, Martinsville ranks as the seventh most affordable place in Virginia. With a median income of $46,727 and a median rent of $808, Martinsville is the least economical place to rent on this list, which is why it isn’t featured higher up. On the other hand, the median home price in Martinsville is $133,032, which makes the city the second most affordable place to buy a home in Virginia. Living in Martinsville, you won’t feel like you’re in one of the most expensive states in the country.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$49,491 median income · $736 median rent · #9 home prices in Virginia
Located in
Pulaski County, VirginiaIf you’re looking for the eighth most affordable place to live in Virginia, look no further than Pulaski, a town about an hour southwest of Roanoke.
Housing in Pulaski is super cheap when taken as a proportion of income, whether you’re renting or buying. The median home price in Pulaski is $168,552 and the median rent is $736. With Pulaski residents earning a median income of $49,491, the mortgage or rent payments are a barely noticeable dent in the budget. If you move to Pulaski, you won’t know what people are talking about when they say that Virginia is one of the most expensive states in America.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$54,581 median income · $797 median rent · #3 home prices in Virginia
Located in
Wise County, VirginiaBig Stone Gap ranks as the ninth most affordable city in Virginia, thanks to cheap housing options for both buyers and renters. The median income in Big Stone Gap is $54,581, which is more than enough to cover the median cost of a home, $140,137, or the median rent $797. You’ll be able to enjoy overlooking Powell Valley without stressing about the bills thanks to Big Stone Gap’s affordable housing. Big Stone Gap is located in the far western part of the state, near the Kentucky border.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$51,899 median income · $1,037 median rent · #8 home prices in Virginia
Located in
Emporia city, VirginiaEmporia is an independent city located within the confines of Greensville County, Virginia, United States. It and a predecessor town have been the county seat of Greensville County since 1791. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,927, making it the second-least populous city in Virginia. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Emporia with surrounding Greensville county for statistical purposes.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Virginia’s statewide median.
Virginia statewide median: $412,467
Virginia statewide median: $93,170
On the map
Where your money goes furthest in Virginia
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most affordable places to live in the Old Dominion for 2026
Determining affordability for places in Virginia boils down to how much it costs to live here.
You need to understand your costs relative to what people in the rest of the state are paying.
With that logic in mind, we derived several cost of living statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 for Virginia using Saturday Night Science. We indexed the cost of living statistics across the following categories:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Services
- Groceries
- Healthcare
- Utilities
These are then weighted together to produce an overall cost of living index where 100 is the United States average. Anything below 100 is relatively affordable. Anything over 100 is relatively expensive.
We applied the biggest weight to housing as it typically accounts for 25% or more of your budget. Additionally, housing costs are the highest variant cost across a state. We then compare these cost of living metrics for each place in Virginia to figure out which is the least expensive.
The “Cost of Living Index” allows you to rank all of the 62 places in Virginia that have more than 5,000 people from least expensive to most expensive. Any ties went to the larger city.
The place in Virginia with the lowest cost of living according to the data is Richlands.
We updated this article for 2026. This report reflects our eleventh time ranking the cheapest places to live in Virginia.
The full plate
Cheapest Places To Live In Virginia
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Cost Of Living Index | Median Income | Home Prices | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richlands | 5,171 | 86 | $37,154 | $106,217 | $804 |
| 2 | Covington | 5,680 | 87 | $41,944 | $158,023 | $794 |
| 3 | Marion | 5,670 | 87 | $40,896 | $157,966 | $714 |
| 4 | Danville | 42,214 | 88 | $44,423 | $156,399 | $836 |
| 5 | Bristol | 16,849 | 88 | $50,404 | $201,474 | $801 |
| 6 | Galax | 6,726 | 88 | $38,675 | $182,063 | $743 |
| 7 | Martinsville | 13,658 | 89 | $46,727 | $133,032 | $808 |
| 8 | Pulaski | 8,893 | 90 | $49,491 | $168,552 | $736 |
| 9 | Big Stone Gap | 5,162 | 90 | $54,581 | $140,137 | $797 |
| 10 | Emporia | 5,547 | 91 | $51,899 | $159,794 | $1,037 |
| 11 | Buena Vista | 6,593 | 93 | $57,833 | $196,020 | $1,112 |
| 12 | Roanoke | 98,355 | 94 | $55,378 | $277,113 | $996 |
| 13 | Abingdon | 8,330 | 95 | $54,544 | $281,619 | $838 |
| 14 | South Boston | 7,853 | 95 | $44,052 | $149,172 | $760 |
| 15 | Petersburg | 33,537 | 96 | $50,698 | $245,998 | $1,174 |
| 16 | Hopewell | 22,959 | 96 | $54,729 | $232,749 | $1,106 |
| 17 | Wytheville | 8,202 | 96 | $47,270 | $223,768 | $760 |
| 18 | Vinton | 8,056 | 96 | $65,445 | $283,675 | $992 |
| 19 | Waynesboro | 22,841 | 99 | $59,994 | $312,910 | $1,020 |
| 20 | Radford | 16,726 | 100 | $57,348 | $261,601 | $1,033 |
| 21 | Franklin | 8,250 | 101 | $63,245 | $242,884 | $988 |
| 22 | Lynchburg | 79,497 | 102 | $57,947 | $262,101 | $1,073 |
| 23 | Staunton | 25,948 | 102 | $65,581 | $308,028 | $1,024 |
| 24 | Newport News | 184,216 | 103 | $69,634 | $290,660 | $1,339 |
| 25 | Christiansburg | 22,720 | 103 | $77,147 | $304,607 | $1,181 |
| 26 | Farmville | 7,774 | 103 | $40,966 | $261,292 | $859 |
| 27 | Portsmouth | 97,190 | 104 | $60,491 | $260,462 | $1,300 |
| 28 | Colonial Heights | 18,352 | 104 | $76,505 | $294,925 | $1,234 |
| 29 | Strasburg | 7,214 | 104 | $62,464 | $346,089 | $1,017 |
| 30 | Salem | 25,618 | 106 | $66,725 | $305,426 | $1,133 |
| 31 | Ashland | 7,772 | 106 | $61,164 | $463,340 | $1,229 |
| 32 | Hampton | 137,557 | 107 | $69,621 | $275,341 | $1,427 |
| 33 | Orange | 5,066 | 107 | $76,370 | $336,894 | $1,103 |
| 34 | Woodstock | 5,871 | 108 | $76,100 | $337,785 | $1,005 |
| 35 | Norfolk | 233,596 | 109 | $66,109 | $306,227 | $1,321 |
| 36 | Harrisonburg | 51,392 | 109 | $62,254 | $348,178 | $1,184 |
| 37 | Front Royal | 15,296 | 110 | $64,838 | $383,200 | $1,135 |
| 38 | Lexington | 7,525 | 110 | $84,517 | $358,989 | $1,081 |
| 39 | Bridgewater | 6,708 | 111 | $75,280 | $375,081 | $1,216 |
| 40 | Richmond | 229,359 | 112 | $64,587 | $369,646 | $1,372 |
| 41 | Winchester | 27,913 | 112 | $63,974 | $399,457 | $1,315 |
| 42 | Dumfries | 5,816 | 114 | $82,355 | $596,416 | $1,732 |
| 43 | Suffolk | 98,796 | 116 | $92,666 | $384,301 | $1,563 |
| 44 | Smithfield | 8,834 | 116 | $113,158 | $393,349 | $1,195 |
| 45 | Chesapeake | 252,583 | 117 | $95,373 | $420,756 | $1,586 |
| 46 | Virginia Beach | 456,349 | 118 | $92,968 | $427,032 | $1,714 |
| 47 | Culpeper | 20,794 | 119 | $94,721 | $451,495 | $1,416 |
| 48 | Blacksburg | 45,446 | 120 | $50,182 | $420,779 | $1,359 |
| 49 | Charlottesville | 45,437 | 124 | $74,824 | $515,217 | $1,540 |
| 50 | Manassas Park | 16,798 | 125 | $103,250 | $462,197 | $2,146 |
| 51 | Williamsburg | 15,798 | 125 | $75,604 | $464,104 | $1,407 |
| 52 | Poquoson | 12,639 | 125 | $120,972 | $462,480 | $1,707 |
| 53 | Manassas | 42,976 | 126 | $113,590 | $557,119 | $1,850 |
| 54 | Fredericksburg | 28,873 | 127 | $86,071 | $480,265 | $1,619 |
| 55 | Warrenton | 10,176 | 128 | $83,331 | $681,948 | $1,418 |
| 56 | Leesburg | 49,171 | 142 | $145,205 | $865,517 | $2,105 |
| 57 | Purcellville | 8,973 | 143 | $165,121 | $909,565 | $2,222 |
| 58 | Herndon | 24,672 | 147 | $148,000 | $740,680 | $2,259 |
| 59 | Alexandria | 156,976 | 153 | $119,681 | $676,205 | $2,089 |
| 60 | Fairfax | 25,026 | 158 | $132,348 | $792,535 | $2,245 |
| 61 | Vienna | 16,412 | 183 | $216,953 | $1,179,673 | $2,391 |
| 62 | Falls Church | 14,710 | 184 | $143,262 | $789,604 | $2,190 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, cost-of-living data. 62 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Virginia Affordability Summary
This is an accurate list of the most affordable places to live in Virginia for 2026, if you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in Virginia.
The cheapest cities in Virginia are Richlands, Covington, Marion, Danville, Bristol, Galax, Martinsville, Pulaski, Big Stone Gap, and Emporia.
