Overall
99.1
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Charlottesville, VA
Cost-of-living indicators for Charlottesville, VA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 99.1
- Overall RPP
- #97
- of 387 metros
- 107.0
- Rents RPP
- $101K
- $100K national buys
Charlottesville ranks #97 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach
The verdict
Charlottesville costs less than 25% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 99.1, 0.9% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 89.0.
- bottom 75%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.8
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 89.0
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $100,861 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $99,146.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$99,146
in Charlottesville, VA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$49,573
$75,000 nationally
$74,360
$125,000 nationally
$123,933
$150,000 nationally
$148,719
$200,000 nationally
$198,292
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
20/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
20th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.6 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2022, when the index dropped 2.9 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Charlottesville overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 99.7 |
| 2009 | 98.7 |
| 2010 | 100.6 |
| 2011 | 100.6 |
| 2012 | 98.9 |
| 2013 | 100.8 |
| 2014 | 99.9 |
| 2015 | 100.1 |
| 2016 | 100.3 |
| 2017 | 99.9 |
| 2018 | 98.2 |
| 2019 | 95.8 |
| 2020 | 98.3 |
| 2021 | 100.5 |
| 2022 | 97.5 |
| 2023 | 99.0 |
| 2024 | 99.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Charlottesville's overall RPP rose +0.2 points, from 99.0 in 2023 to 99.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 104.6 to 107.0. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Service-cost relief profile
How Charlottesville's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Charlottesville: their index is 89.0, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 99.1 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL, Jacksonville, FL, Raleigh-Cary, NC. They resemble Charlottesville across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Charlottesville's overall index has stayed within 0.6 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Charlottesville vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
99 Top 25% higher than 75% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Charlottesville cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
107 RPP
- Services
Services
89 RPP
- Overall
Overall
99.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.8 RPP
What this shows Charlottesville's strongest departure is services at 89.0; rents follows at 107.0. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Charlottesville's cost comes from
Metros near Charlottesville's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Charlottesville (Charlottesville, this metro): goods RPP 96.8, rents RPP 107
- Deltona: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 108.4
- Atlantic City: goods RPP 99.8, rents RPP 98.7
- Jacksonville: goods RPP 96.2, rents RPP 109.8
- Santa Fe: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 108
- Albany: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 102.6
- Harrisburg: goods RPP 100.7, rents RPP 96.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.8
Below avg
Services
89.0
Cheap
Rents
107.0
Above avg
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Charlottesville, VA's index of 99.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Charlottesville's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.6 · Rents 108.4 Jacksonville, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.5 · Rents 109.8 Raleigh-Cary, NC
Goods 96.6 · Services 89.0 · Rents 103.5 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 88.1 · Rents 111.7 Flagstaff, AZ
Goods 96.2 · Services 93.8 · Rents 109.0 Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.3 · Rents 101.6
VA-relative analysis
Rent prices places Charlottesville, VA toward the top of VA's metros
Among the 9 VA metros PlainCost tracks with reported rent prices data, Charlottesville, VA ranks #1 - the 89th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Charlottesville, VA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 9
22nd percentile in VA
Services prices
#5 of 9
44th percentile in VA
Rent prices
#1 of 9
89th percentile in VA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within VA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Charlottesville, VA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (99.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (107.0 here).
Other VA Metros
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC 97.9 Richmond, VA 97.9 Winchester, VA-WV 96.5 Harrisonburg, VA 94.9 Roanoke, VA 93.6 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 92.7
View all VA metros → Cheapest in VA → Most expensive in VA →
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Charlottesville
How to read Charlottesville's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $100,861 in Charlottesville. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 89.0, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Charlottesville head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Charlottesville, VA?
Charlottesville, VA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 99.1, meaning it is 0.9% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.8, services at 89.0, and rents at 107.0. It ranks #97 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Charlottesville, VA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $99,146 in Charlottesville, VA. Conversely, $100K earned in Charlottesville, VA has the purchasing power of $100,861 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Charlottesville, VA?
Rents in Charlottesville, VA are indexed at 107.0, which is 7.0% above the national average. This is close to the U.S. average.
Is Charlottesville, VA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Charlottesville, VA's overall cost index changed by -0.6 points (from 99.7 to 99.1). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Charlottesville, VA?
The priciest category in Charlottesville, VA is rents at 107.0, 7.0% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 89.0, 11.0% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Charlottesville, VA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Atlantic City-Hammonton, Jacksonville. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Charlottesville, VA's 99.1.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.