$ PlainPropertyTax

Virginia Beach city, VA

Rent vs Own in Virginia Beach city, Virginia

HUD prices a 2-bedroom in Virginia Beach city at $1,713/mo while the ownership stack lands near $2,301/mo. That mid-sized gap is large enough that rate or down-payment tweaks usually cannot close it alone. Owner-occupied homes: 117,165.

🏘️
Renting is cheaper in Virginia Beach city

A 2-bedroom rental here runs $1,713/mo, meaningfully below the $2,301/mo ownership stack on the default assumptions. That is a $588/mo difference.

Based on 20% down, 6.5% rate, 30-year mortgage. Adjust below.

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Virginia Beach city

Primary driver

Renting wins by a mid-sized monthly gap

Virginia Beach city lists a $382,500 median home with $3,061/yr property tax (0.80%). HUD's $1,713/mo 2-bedroom rent undercuts the ~$2,301/mo ownership stack by a mid-range margin of about $588/mo. Closing that gap usually takes more than a cosmetic rate tweak, price, tax load, or both.

Decision signal 2

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Virginia Beach city ranks 86 of 133 Virginia counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 47 other Virginia counties on this measure.

Decision signal 3

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $92,968, for a 4.1x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 3.3% of that income. Small changes in down payment or rate move this county across the rent-vs-own line more than they would in a high-ratio market.

Decision signal 4

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Virginia Beach city from $1,696/mo in FY2025 to $1,713/mo in FY2026: it increased by $17/mo (+1.0%). A rising rent benchmark widens the gap in favour of owning over time, because the mortgage share of the ownership cost below is fixed at origination while the rent it is compared against reprices every year.

Methodology & disclaimer

This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Property tax figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates and rent figures come from HUD Fair Market Rents; both describe area medians, not individual transactions. Insurance is estimated at 0.35% of home value annually and closing costs, maintenance, HOA, and PMI are not included. Consult a licensed mortgage, tax, or real-estate professional before making a buy-or-rent decision based on these numbers.

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Estimated Monthly Ownership
$2,301
Mortgage (P&I) $1,934
Property Tax $255
Insurance (est.) $112
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,713
Studio$1,492
1-Bedroom$1,512
2-Bedroom$1,713
3-Bedroom$2,376
4-Bedroom$2,797

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$92,968
$7,747/mo
Home Price / Income
4.1x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
3.3%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Virginia Beach city owners still owes $3,000 or more every year - a recurring holding cost of a few hundred dollars a month, which is why "paid off" understates the real cost of keeping property here.

Virginia Beach city matches the national pattern: six-figure earners between $100,000 and $200,000 account for more of these write-offs than any other local group.

With ownership already mid-range more expensive than rent month-to-month, that annual bill reinforces why cash-flow renters stay put unless they are deliberately buying for tenure rather than monthly savings.

Bill bands are Census ACS counts of owner-occupied homes without a mortgage. Income brackets are IRS Statistics of Income county data for tax year 2022, counted over FILERS reporting real-estate taxes on Schedule A, which is a smaller group than homeowners: most filers take the standard deduction.

Nearby Counties

Fairfax County
Home: $732,800 Tax: $7,368/yr
Prince William County
Home: $530,100 Tax: $4,999/yr
Loudoun County
Home: $743,800 Tax: $6,325/yr
Chesterfield County
Home: $366,000 Tax: $2,773/yr
Henrico County
Home: $359,200 Tax: $2,565/yr
Chesapeake city
Home: $378,400 Tax: $3,108/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Virginia Beach city, Virginia? ▼
Renting the HUD 2-bedroom is the clearer monthly path in Virginia Beach city by roughly $588/mo under default loan assumptions. Closing a gap this size usually needs a meaningfully lower price or rate, not a cosmetic tweak.
What is the average rent in Virginia Beach city? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,713/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,305/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
How much house can you afford in Virginia Beach city? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $92,968 household here can afford up to $278,904 -- about $103,596 short of this county's $382,500 median home. That gap is typically closed with a larger down payment, dual incomes, or a longer search outside the median price band.
How does Virginia Beach city compare to other Virginia counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 133 Virginia counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Virginia Beach city lands at spot 86, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/virginia">Virginia state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.
What is the median home price in Virginia Beach city? ▼
$382,500, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.80% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Virginia Beach city? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 1.0% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPropertyTax

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finances State and local property tax revenue by jurisdiction · 2025

Verify with HUD →