Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
Virginia
Alexandria is a premium Washington-area commuter market in Virginia, useful for starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Virginia
Roanoke is the mountain-region affordability market in Virginia, promoted in source-ready batch 01 for comparisons around housing, wages, utilities, taxes, benefits, and moving costs.
Comparison
Roanoke has the lower salary-needed estimate, while Roanoke has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Roanoke minus Alexandria.
| Metric | Alexandria | Roanoke | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,246 | $1,369 | -$877 | Roanoke | Roanoke has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $679,447 | $279,668 | -$399,779 | Roanoke | Roanoke has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $202/mo | $196/mo | -$6/mo | Roanoke | Roanoke has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 107 | 106 | -1 | Roanoke | Roanoke has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $96,720 | $70,200 | -$26,520 | Roanoke | Roanoke has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 68/100 | 77/100 | +9 | Roanoke | Roanoke has the higher move score. |