Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charlottesville, VA and Hampton, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Charlottesville, VA: $2,973 a month against $3,311 in Hampton, VA, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Charlottesville, VA
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Charlottesville, VA Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Hampton, VA
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Hampton, VA Living Index

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Charlottesville, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,973

/mo nomad

Hampton, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,311

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Charlottesville, VA and in Hampton, VA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,973 in Charlottesville, VA versus $3,311 in Hampton, VA.

Charlottesville, VA $2,973
Hampton, VA $3,311

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,460 in Charlottesville, VA versus $5,036 in Hampton, VA.

Charlottesville, VA $4,460
Hampton, VA $5,036

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,948 in Charlottesville, VA versus $6,762 in Hampton, VA.

Charlottesville, VA $5,948
Hampton, VA $6,762

Living in Charlottesville, VA costs roughly 10% less than in Hampton, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Charlottesville, VA 120% above, Hampton, VA 145% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.94 $19.94

$19.97 $19.97

-0.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$75.4 $75.4

33.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.79 $12.79

$12.07 $12.07

5.97%

Cappuccino

$4.44 $4.44

$4.58 $4.58

-3.06%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$3.41 $3.41

-20.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.42 $2.42

-22.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 $6.44

$6.59 $6.59

-2.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 $5.85

$9.02 $9.02

-35.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.54 $1.54

-27.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 $3.67

$5.23 $5.23

-29.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$7.27 $7.27

-7.29%

Eggs

$5.09 $5.09

$5.69 $5.69

-10.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 $16.05

$8.13 $8.13

97.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.41 $15.41

$26.17 $26.17

-41.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 $17.76

$20.14 $20.14

-11.82%

Apples (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$13.36 $13.36

-51.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.55 $2.55

50.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$9.92 $9.92

-25.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.02 $8.02

$9.97 $9.97

-19.56%

Potato (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$7.10 $7.10

-8.45%

Onion (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$6.81 $6.81

-4.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.50 $3.50

-27.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$5.21 $5.21

-38.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.29 $9.29

$10.71 $10.71

-13.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.65 $14.65

$14.29 $14.29

2.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.78 $1.78

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$3.81 $3.81

0.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.81 $3.81

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.8 $55.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 $4.09

$5.13 $5.13

-20.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.89 $1.89

8.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.21 $25.21

$20.37 $20.37

23.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.98 $0.98

1.02%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$36.6K $36.6K

-0.87%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$24.8K $24.8K

1.26%

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

$291 $291

$217 $217

34.03%

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

$52.7 $52.7

$53.3 $53.3

-1.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$99.4 $99.4

$78.3 $78.3

26.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 $69.7

$112 $112

-37.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.56 $7.56

$35.18 $35.18

-78.51%

Cinema Ticket

$17.28 $17.28

$17.89 $17.89

-3.41%

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

$1,391 $1,391

$1,359 $1,359

2.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K $30.2K

$15.0K $15.0K

101.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.77 $47.77

$47.00 $47.00

1.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 $49.26

$49.15 $49.15

0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 $94.7

$136 $136

-30.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$133 $133

-10.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 $1,967

$1,626 $1,626

20.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 $1,432

$1,576 $1,576

-9.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 $3,107

$2,908 $2,908

6.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,912 $2,912

-12.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 $2,816

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,771 $2,771

$2,315 $2,315

19.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,612 $4,612

$3,665 $3,665

25.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

6.1

8.03%

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

Last update for Charlottesville, VA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hampton, VA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Charlottesville, VA

$1.4K 48.2%

Hampton, VA

$1.6K 47.6% 10.1% $144

Groceries & Markets

Charlottesville, VA

$526 17.7%

Hampton, VA

$663 20% 26.1% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charlottesville, VA

$443 14.9%

Hampton, VA

$349 10.5% 21.3% $94

Eating Out

Charlottesville, VA

$313 10.5%

Hampton, VA

$325 9.8% 3.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Charlottesville, VA

$140 4.7%

Hampton, VA

$164 5% 17.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Charlottesville, VA

$104 3.5%

Hampton, VA

$147 4.5% 41.3% $43

Getting Around

Charlottesville, VA

$14 * 0.5%

Hampton, VA

$86 2.6% 494% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,967 in Charlottesville, VA and $1,626 in Hampton, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charlottesville, VA pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $101 in Charlottesville, VA vs $75.0 in Hampton, VA. Groceries flip the comparison at $526 vs $663, with Charlottesville, VA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Charlottesville, VA

🇺🇸 Hampton, VA

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

Same time as Charlottesville, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,475

137,436

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Charlottesville, VA Hampton, VA 220 km

From you

Charlottesville, VA
Hampton, VA

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

Charlottesville, VA vs Hampton, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Charlottesville, VA and Hampton, VA differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($2,973 vs $3,311 including rent). Charlottesville, VA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Charlottesville, VA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,967 in Charlottesville, VA versus $1,626 in Hampton, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Hampton, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,973 per month in Charlottesville, VA versus $3,311 in Hampton, VA – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Charlottesville, VA is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Charlottesville, VA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Hampton, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.