Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blacksburg, VA and Ipswich

For one person, living is cheaper in Blacksburg, VA: $1,992 a month against $2,348 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Blacksburg, VA
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Blacksburg, VA Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index

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Blacksburg, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,992

/mo nomad

Ipswich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Blacksburg, VA and in Ipswich

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Blacksburg, VA and in Ipswich actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,992 per month in Blacksburg, VA vs $2,348 in Ipswich, rent included.

Blacksburg, VA $1,992
Ipswich $2,348

A couple spends around $3,107 per month in Blacksburg, VA vs $3,450 in Ipswich, rent included.

Blacksburg, VA $3,107
Ipswich $3,450

A family of three spends $4,223 per month in Blacksburg, VA vs $4,551 in Ipswich, rent included.

Blacksburg, VA $4,223
Ipswich $4,551

Blacksburg, VA is about 15% cheaper than Ipswich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Blacksburg, VA and Ipswich sit above the global median – Blacksburg, VA by 47%, Ipswich by 73%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 $16.94

$20.87 £15.66

-18.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 $65.8

$106 £79.2

-37.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 $8.41

$10.54 £7.91

-20.21%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$5.50 £4.12

-11.09%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.68 £1.26

69.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.84 £1.38

11.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$6.83 £5.12

-13.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 $6.79

$6.95 £5.22

-2.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.76 £1.32

-46.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.69 £1.27

85.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.65 £1.24

82.42%

Eggs

$4.49 $4.49

$4.31 £3.24

4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 $14.81

$12.57 £9.43

17.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 $9.89

$8.81 £6.61

12.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$15.47 £11.61

-34.26%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$3.08 £2.31

67.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.47 £1.10

-12.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.78 £2.09

55.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.23 £2.42

47.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.69 £1.27

45.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.43 £1.07

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.46 £1.10

39.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.46 £1.10

-9.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.84 $8.84

$23.41 £17.56

-62.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 $15.21

$10.87 £8.15

39.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.68 £2.01

-17.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$3.68 £2.76

-25.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 £2.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.7 £65.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$5.61 £4.21

-46.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.96 £1.47

-5.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.97 $11.97

$33.41 £25.06

-64.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.96 £1.47

-56.12%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$25.2K $25.2K

$39.3K £29.5K

-35.72%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.8K $23.8K

$41.3K £31.0K

-42.40%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$162 $162

$375 £281

-56.85%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.57 $29.57

$15.89 £11.92

86.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$40.34 £30.26

68.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 $40.21

$33.29 £24.97

20.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.18 $10.18

$7.97 £5.98

27.73%

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$17.76 £13.32

-14.92%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$856 $856

$1,076 £807

-20.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$20.2K £15.1K

19.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.85 $36.85

$68.5 £51.4

-46.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.91 $31.91

$55.2 £41.39

-42.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 $76.8

$80.1 £60.1

-4.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 $83.5

$69.2 £51.9

20.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 $1,306

$1,096 £822

19.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 $912

$972 £729

-6.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 $2,114

$1,410 £1,058

49.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 $1,828

$1,540 £1,155

18.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,110 $2,110

$5,009 £3,758

-57.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,101 $2,101

$4,015 £3,012

-47.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,117 $4,117

$2,990 £2,243

37.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

4.74

39.45%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Blacksburg, VA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ipswich: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Blacksburg, VA

$912 45.8%

Ipswich

$972 41.4% 6.6% $60

Groceries & Markets

Blacksburg, VA

$352 17.7%

Ipswich

$312 13.3% 11.5% $41

Eating Out

Blacksburg, VA

$282 14.2%

Ipswich

$327 13.9% 15.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blacksburg, VA

$259 13%

Ipswich

$431 18.4% 66.3% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Blacksburg, VA

$103 5.2%

Ipswich

$123 5.2% 19.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Blacksburg, VA

$70 3.5%

Ipswich

$69 2.9% 2.3% $1.6

Getting Around

Blacksburg, VA

$12 * 0.6%

Ipswich

$114 4.9% 832% $102

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,306 in Blacksburg, VA versus $1,096 in Ipswich. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 38% higher in Blacksburg, VA, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Blacksburg, VA versus $106 in Ipswich. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Blacksburg, VA vs $312 in Ipswich – so Ipswich wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Blacksburg, VA

🇬🇧 Ipswich

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

04:10 4:10 AM

5 h ahead of Blacksburg, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,826

120,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

GBP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Blacksburg, VA Ipswich 6,310 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Blacksburg, VA
Ipswich

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Blacksburg, VA vs Ipswich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,992 in Blacksburg, VA, $2,348 in Ipswich – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,988 per month in Blacksburg, VA and $3,522 in Ipswich. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Blacksburg, VA, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,992 in Blacksburg, VA and $2,348 in Ipswich. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $856 per month in Blacksburg, VA and $1,076 in Ipswich. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Blacksburg, VA, where all-in costs run around $1,992, than in Ipswich at $2,348. In Blacksburg, VA it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ipswich it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Blacksburg, VA – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Blacksburg, VA. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ipswich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.