These Are The 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Virginia For 2018

A wise sage once said:

‘She works hard for the money…’

And these places in Virginia definitely treat her right.

You see, these are the places in Virginia where the cost of living is the lowest; where your salary goes the furthest. And when if you have the luxury of choosing where to live in the Old Dominion, then the cost of living should play a role in the decision.

So we did the hard for you and crunched the numbers to find the cities that have lower food, energy, and housing costs. After the dust settled on our analysis of the 59 largest places in Virginia, we were left with this set of the best value for your money.

Here are the 10 cheapest places to live in Virginia for 2018:

1. Martinsville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
2. Roanoke (Photos | Homes For Sale)
3. Vinton (Photos | Homes For Sale)
4. Salem (Photos | Homes For Sale)
5. Bedford (Homes For Sale)
6. Lynchburg (Photos | Homes For Sale)
7. Bristol (Photos | Homes For Sale)
8. Covington (Photos | Homes For Sale)
9. Big Stone Gap (Photos | Homes For Sale)
10. Waynesboro (Photos | Homes For Sale)

So listen up Alexandria (the most expensive place in Virginia) as we explain how we created this ranking. You could learn some things from the rest of the state.

And if you already knew these places were cheap, check out the best places to live in Virginia or the most expensive.

How We Determined The Cheapest Places To Live In The Old Dominion For 2018

There are basic necessities that you have to buy no matter where in the country you live. Those things include:

• Housing
• Food
• Gas
• Health Insurance
• Utilities
• Transportation

You can then compare the cost of these things in each of the places in Virginia to figure out which is the least expensive.

What you are left with is a ‘Cost of Living Index’ that normalizes to 100 for an average place in the United States.

So we used that cost of living index in order to rank all of the 59 places in Virginia that have more than 5,000 people.

And just so you can better understand how the cost of living index works, 100 is the average cost of a place in the United States. A score of 90 means that the place cost 10% less than average. A score of 90 means it’s 10% less expensive.

San Francisco has a score of 243 meaning it’s almost 2.5 times as expensive as the average place in the country.

1. Martinsville

Population: 13,854
Services: 96
Groceries: 96
Health Care: 88
Housing: 53
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 80
More on Martinsville: Homes For Sale | Data
Martinsville is an independent city near the southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,821. It is the county seat of Henry County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry County for statistical purposes.

2. Roanoke

Population: 96,742
Services: 90
Groceries: 90
Health Care: 96
Housing: 75
Transportation: 88
Utilities: 100
More on Roanoke: Homes For Sale | Data
Roanoke is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 97,032. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia.

3. Vinton

Population: 8,087
Services: 90
Groceries: 90
Health Care: 96
Housing: 79
Transportation: 88
Utilities: 100
More on Vinton: Homes For Sale | Data

4. Salem

Population: 24,792
Services: 90
Groceries: 90
Health Care: 96
Housing: 92
Transportation: 88
Utilities: 100
More on Salem: Homes For Sale | Data
Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,802. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Salem with Roanoke County for statistical purposes.

5. Bedford

Population: 6,103
Services: 95
Groceries: 92
Health Care: 95
Housing: 76
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 98
More on Bedford: Homes For Sale

6. Lynchburg

Population: 75,657
Services: 95
Groceries: 92
Health Care: 95
Housing: 80
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 98
More on Lynchburg: Homes For Sale | Data
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,568. The 2016 census estimates an increase to 80,212. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the ‘City of Seven Hills’ or the ‘Hill City’. In the 1860s, Lynchburg was the only major city in Virginia that was not recaptured by the Union before the end of the American Civil War.

7. Bristol

Population: 17,747
Services: 100
Groceries: 91
Health Care: 89
Housing: 59
Transportation: 94
Utilities: 98
More on Bristol: Homes For Sale | Data
Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,835. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State Street. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Bristol, Virginia, with neighboring Washington County, Virginia, for statistical purposes. Bristol is a principal city of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the ‘Tri-Cities’ region.

8. Covington

Population: 5,903
Services: 97
Groceries: 90
Health Care: 92
Housing: 47
Transportation: 99
Utilities: 107
More on Covington: Homes For Sale | Data

9. Big Stone Gap

Population: 5,567
Services: 100
Groceries: 91
Health Care: 89
Housing: 60
Transportation: 94
Utilities: 98
More on Big Stone Gap: Homes For Sale | Data
Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census.

10. Waynesboro

Population: 21,030
Services: 95
Groceries: 91
Health Care: 94
Housing: 90
Transportation: 91
Utilities: 105
More on Waynesboro: Homes For Sale | Data
Waynesboro (formerly Flack), is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 21,006.

There You Have It Mr. Or Mrs. Cheapskate

If you’re looking at the cost of living numbers in Virginia, this is an accurate list of the cheapest places to call home.

Detailed List Of The Cheapest Places In Virginia

City	Rank	Population	Services	Groceries	Health Care
Martinsville	1	13,854	96	96	88
Roanoke	2	96,742	90	90	96
Vinton	3	8,087	90	90	96
Salem	4	24,792	90	90	96
Bedford	5	6,103	95	92	95
Lynchburg	6	75,657	95	92	95
Bristol	7	17,747	100	91	89
Covington	8	5,903	97	90	92
Big Stone Gap	9	5,567	100	91	89
Waynesboro	10	21,030	95	91	94
Staunton	11	23,906	95	91	94
Buena Vista	12	6,679	97	90	92
Abingdon	13	8,166	100	91	89
Lexington	14	6,990	97	90	92
Richlands	15	5,811	97	92	108
Pulaski	16	9,084	97	92	108
Galax	17	6,942	97	92	108
Bluefield	18	5,451	97	92	108
Marion	19	5,953	97	92	108
Emporia	20	5,825	99	96	101
Wytheville	21	8,205	97	92	108
Petersburg	22	32,226	99	96	101
Danville	23	43,185	112	102	93
Radford	24	16,511	97	92	108
Hopewell	25	22,501	99	96	101
Harrisonburg	26	49,043	99	93	104
Christiansburg	27	20,980	97	92	108
South Boston	28	8,127	112	102	93
Franklin	29	8,531	104	91	109
Portsmouth	30	95,786	104	91	109
Colonial Heights	31	17,426	99	96	101
Manassas Park	32	14,409	92	113	86
Strasburg	33	6,348	108	100	99
Ashland	34	7,239	99	96	101
Hampton	35	137,471	104	91	109
Richmond	36	205,348	99	96	101
Woodstock	37	5,099	108	100	99
Front Royal	38	14,537	108	100	99
Newport News	39	180,831	104	91	109
Norfolk	40	243,056	104	91	109
Winchester	41	26,330	108	100	99
Herndon	42	23,424	92	113	86
Smithfield	43	8,059	104	91	109
Suffolk	44	84,216	104	91	109
Leesburg	45	43,208	92	113	86
Blacksburg	46	42,539	97	92	108
Vienna	47	15,748	92	113	86
Chesapeake	48	223,233	104	91	109
Virginia Beach	49	439,528	104	91	109
Warrenton	50	9,571	108	100	99
Dumfries	51	5,001	98	112	94
Poquoson	52	12,110	104	91	109
Belle Haven	53	6,808	104	91	109
Belle Haven	54	6,808	104	91	109
Purcellville	55	7,754	108	100	99
Manassas	56	37,943	98	112	94
Charlottesville	57	43,223	104	98	105
Fredericksburg	58	24,932	98	112	94
Alexandria	59	140,337	98	112	94