City comparison
Lansing, MI vs Virginia Beach, VA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Virginia Beach, VA are 3.1% higher than in Lansing, MI. Someone earning $100,000 in Lansing, MI would need about $103,100 in Virginia Beach, VA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,512 a month in Virginia Beach, VA versus $1,012 in Lansing, MI. On $100,000, that's 24% of take-home pay in Virginia Beach, VA and 16% in Lansing, MI.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $937 a year higher in Virginia Beach, VA than in Lansing, MI.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −8.0% moving from Lansing, MI to Virginia Beach, VA ($117,402 → $108,019), while prices change by +3.1%. Net effect of the transfer: −10.8% in real buying power.
- Lansing, MI: price level 95.0 (cheaper)
- Virginia Beach, VA: price level 97.9 (cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lansing, MI | Virginia Beach, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 95.0 | 97.9 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $103,106 in Virginia Beach | $96,988 in Lansing |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,012/mo | $1,512/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $75,181 | $74,244 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,999 (MI) | $4,936 (VA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 16% | 24% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $52,800 | $49,430 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC |
Rent areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA and Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Lansing-East Lansing, MI and Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lansing | Virginia Beach |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 83.5 | 99.8 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 96.8 |
| Utilities | 95.5 | 89.6 |
| Other services | 99.6 | 98.6 |
| Overall | 95.0 | 97.9 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lansing, MI → Virginia Beach, VA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −3.0%; rent takes 24% of take-home; state tax +$937/yr.
59 Fair offer
Virginia Beach, VA → Lansing, MI
Same pay goes further
Buying power +3.1%; rent takes 16% of take-home; state tax −$937/yr.
78 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lansing, MI is in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI pay area; Virginia Beach, VA is in Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC. The last column shows what a transfer from Lansing, MI to Virginia Beach, VA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lansing, MI | Virginia Beach, VA | Real change, Lansing → Virginia Beach |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,081 | $62,640 | −10.8% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,372 | $75,788 | −10.8% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,729 | $90,838 | −10.8% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,402 | $108,019 | −10.8% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,734 | $127,646 | −10.8% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lansing, MI | Virginia Beach, VA | Virginia Beach pay in Lansing dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $72,930 | $63,380 | $61,471 (−15.7%) |
| Software Developers | $97,120 | $129,090 | $125,202 (+28.9%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $79,210 | $79,450 | $77,057 (−2.7%) |
| Registered Nurses | $84,320 | $89,450 | $86,756 (+2.9%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.