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

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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:

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 some more reading about Virginia and the cheapest places in the country:

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

Martinsville Location In

Source: Wikipedia User Sleddog116 at e | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 13,854
Services: 96
Groceries: 96
Health Care: 88
Housing: 53
Transportation: 90
Utilities: 80
More on Martinsville: Real Estate | Data | Photos

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

Roanoke Location In

Source: Wikipedia User Joe Ravi | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 96,742
Services: 90
Groceries: 90
Health Care: 96
Housing: 75
Transportation: 88
Utilities: 100
More on Roanoke: Real Estate | Data | Photos

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

Vinton Location In

Source: Wikipedia User Warfieldian | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 8,087
Services: 90
Groceries: 90
Health Care: 96
Housing: 79
Transportation: 88
Utilities: 100
More on Vinton: Real Estate | Data | Photos

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4. Salem

Salem Location In

Source: Wikipedia User Mojo Hand | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 24,792
Services: 90
Groceries: 90
Health Care: 96
Housing: 92
Transportation: 88
Utilities: 100
More on Salem: Real Estate | Data | Photos

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

Source: Wikipedia User Taber Andrew Ba | CC BY 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 6,103
Services: 95
Groceries: 92
Health Care: 95
Housing: 76
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 98
More on Bedford: Real Estate | Photos

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6. Lynchburg

Lynchburg Location In

Source: Wikipedia User Carmenshields | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 75,657
Services: 95
Groceries: 92
Health Care: 95
Housing: 80
Transportation: 87
Utilities: 98
More on Lynchburg: Real Estate | Data | Photos

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

Bristol Location In

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 17,747
Services: 100
Groceries: 91
Health Care: 89
Housing: 59
Transportation: 94
Utilities: 98
More on Bristol: Real Estate | Data | Photos

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

Covington Location In

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,903
Services: 97
Groceries: 90
Health Care: 92
Housing: 47
Transportation: 99
Utilities: 107
More on Covington: Real Estate | Data | Photos

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9. Big Stone Gap

Big Stone Gap Location In

Source: Wikipedia User KJPurscell | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,567
Services: 100
Groceries: 91
Health Care: 89
Housing: 60
Transportation: 94
Utilities: 98
More on Big Stone Gap: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census.

10. Waynesboro

Waynesboro Location In

Source: Wikipedia User No machine-read | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 21,030
Services: 95
Groceries: 91
Health Care: 94
Housing: 90
Transportation: 91
Utilities: 105
More on Waynesboro: Real Estate | Data | Photos

Waynesboro, 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. Virginia 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.

Here’s a look at the most expensive cities in Virginia according to the data:

Alexandria
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville

For more Virginia reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Cheapest Places In Virginia

Rank	City	CheapScore	Population	Services	Groceries	Health Care
1	Martinsville	12.33	13,854	96	96	88
2	Roanoke	13.92	96,742	90	90	96
3	Vinton	14.42	8,087	90	90	96
4	Salem	15.25	24,792	90	90	96
5	Bedford	17.08	6,103	95	92	95
6	Lynchburg	17.5	75,657	95	92	95
7	Bristol	19.25	17,747	100	91	89
8	Covington	19.42	5,903	97	90	92
9	Big Stone Gap	19.5	5,567	100	91	89
10	Waynesboro	19.58	21,030	95	91	94
11	Staunton	19.75	23,906	95	91	94
12	Buena Vista	21.42	6,679	97	90	92
13	Abingdon	21.83	8,166	100	91	89
14	Lexington	26.58	6,990	97	90	92
15	Richlands	28.75	5,811	97	92	108
16	Pulaski	28.75	9,084	97	92	108
17	Galax	29.0	6,942	97	92	108
18	Bluefield	29.33	5,451	97	92	108
19	Marion	29.33	5,953	97	92	108
20	Emporia	29.5	5,825	99	96	101
21	Wytheville	30.33	8,205	97	92	108
22	Petersburg	30.67	32,226	99	96	101
23	Danville	30.83	43,185	112	102	93
24	Radford	30.92	16,511	97	92	108
25	Hopewell	31.67	22,501	99	96	101
26	Harrisonburg	32.17	49,043	99	93	104
27	Christiansburg	32.25	20,980	97	92	108
28	South Boston	32.25	8,127	112	102	93
29	Franklin	32.25	8,531	104	91	109
30	Portsmouth	32.5	95,786	104	91	109
31	Colonial Heights	32.92	17,426	99	96	101
32	Manassas Park	33.08	14,409	92	113	86
33	Strasburg	33.08	6,348	108	100	99
34	Ashland	33.17	7,239	99	96	101
35	Hampton	33.33	137,471	104	91	109
36	Richmond	33.42	205,348	99	96	101
37	Woodstock	33.42	5,099	108	100	99
38	Front Royal	33.67	14,537	108	100	99
39	Newport News	33.92	180,831	104	91	109
40	Norfolk	33.92	243,056	104	91	109
41	Winchester	34.5	26,330	108	100	99
42	Herndon	34.75	23,424	92	113	86
43	Smithfield	34.75	8,059	104	91	109
44	Suffolk	34.75	84,216	104	91	109
45	Leesburg	34.92	43,208	92	113	86
46	Blacksburg	35.0	42,539	97	92	108
47	Vienna	35.42	15,748	92	113	86
48	Chesapeake	35.58	223,233	104	91	109
49	Virginia Beach	35.92	439,528	104	91	109
50	Warrenton	36.17	9,571	108	100	99
51	Dumfries	36.25	5,001	98	112	94
52	Poquoson	36.42	12,110	104	91	109
53	Belle Haven	36.67	6,808	104	91	109
54	Belle Haven	36.67	6,808	104	91	109
55	Purcellville	37.33	7,754	108	100	99
56	Manassas	37.42	37,943	98	112	94
57	Charlottesville	37.58	43,223	104	98	105
58	Fredericksburg	38.25	24,932	98	112	94
59	Alexandria	39.42	140,337	98	112	94