Virginia Beach, VA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Virginia·Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach city · Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News · population 454,808

Big-city amenities
Virginia Beach, VA
Image: Wikipedia · Virginia Beach, Virginia
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
68
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Virginia Beach stands

At or near all-time high. rents up 5.8% in the last year.

Median home $427,121
1-year +3.1%
5-yr CAGR +5.1%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$427k$244k$310k$377k$444k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
38/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
76/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,010/mo$1,380$1,755$2,130202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent128137100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 17.7
Lean buy

At a 17.7 price-to-rent ratio, Virginia Beach is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
66 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
66 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
41 · w16%
Rent YoY
83 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
61 · w10%
Long thesis

Virginia Beach has held up across the cycle: home values at $427,121 with +5.1% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Virginia Beach's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is a city in Virginia Beach city, Virginia, with an estimated population of 454,808. It anchors the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metro area. The median home value in Virginia Beach is $427,121 as of 2026-04, up 3.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.1% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Virginia Beach average $2,010 per month, up 5.8% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 68 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.1% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +3.1% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Hot rental market: rents up 5.8% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Virginia Beach (Wikipedia)

Virginia Beach is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, ninth-most populous in the Southeast, and the 42nd-most populous city in the U.S. with a population of 459,470 at the 2020 census. Virginia Beach is a principal city in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, which has more than 1.8 million inhabitants and is the 37th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorBobby Dyer (R)
Area497.50 sq mi
Elevation10 ft
Motto''Landmarks of Our Nation's Beginning''
Density1877.53/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Virginia Beach city right now.

NWS active alerts (VA)Virginia Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Virginia Beach city routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Virginia Beach

30 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Bay Colony$1,451,198+10.7%
2Broad Bay Colony$1,349,107+6.9%
3Croatan Beach$1,324,093+5.6%
4Sandbridge$1,138,911+4.7%
5The North End$1,091,890+0.1%
6Cape Story by the Sea$1,030,736+7.3%
7Alanton$730,194+3.8%
8Shadowlawn Heights$728,719+6.8%
9Linkhorn Park$709,224+2.9%
10Chesapeake Beach$623,334+3.0%
11Thoroughgood$607,970+5.2%
12Lynnhaven Shores$582,908+3.9%
13Kings Grant$577,891+3.7%
14Princess Anne$538,476+3.4%
15Great Neck$537,254+2.7%
16Pembroke$490,516+3.8%
17Rudee Heights$481,299+4.9%
18Acredale$465,516+3.2%
19Salem$416,515+3.0%
20Seatack$414,667+3.4%
21Dams Neck Naval Air Station$410,839+2.8%
22Mears Corner$408,404+3.8%
23Macons Corner$363,423+2.4%
24Kempsville$356,307+3.5%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Virginia Beach

Chesapeake, VA71 · RisingRichmond, VA69 · RisingNewport News, VA68 · RisingRoanoke, VA69 · Rising

Run the numbers for Virginia Beach

ToolCan I afford Virginia Beach?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Virginia Beach rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Virginia Beach to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolVirginia Beach cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
47° / 27°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
87° / 65°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
205
~56% of year
Annual precip
44″ rain
14″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Low
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Virginia Beach listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
70%
Humid climate
Median household income
$87,200
Virginia state median
Top industries (state-level)
Government/DefenseTech (NoVa)Shipbuilding

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Virginia Beach

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

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