doxoINSIGHTS » Virginia cities with highest and lowest household expenses in 2023

2023 Report: Cities in Virginia where Household Expenses are Highest and Lowest

How does living in the Old Dominon state affect your wallet? doxo breaks down key insights about Virginia’s household expenses, with a close eye to how bills differ in towns and cities across the state. The average household in Virginia, doxo’s data reveals, pays $2,321 in bills per month.

doxo’s data also has infographics for 91 cities and towns across Virginia, breaking down localized bill pay data figures as well. The state-wide rankings for most and least expensive cities provide insight into cost of living in Virginia and how it changes according to location.

The data sheds light on Virginia’s cost of living through other metrics, too. For example, the “percent of household income” data point shows what percentage of household income local residents spend on bills. doxo’s data also indicates how much more or less expensive specific cities are than the national and state average.

Virginia residents pay $2,321 in household bills a month

The average Virginia household pays $2,321 a month for the 10 most common household bills. This figure takes into account the 10 most common household bills, which are: Mortgage; Rent; Auto Loan; Utilities (electric, gas, water & sewer, and waste & recycling); Auto Insurance; Cable & Internet & Phone, Health Insurance (consumer paid portion); Mobile Phone; Alarm & Security; and Life Insurance.

Virginia residents, overall, get a good deal on their bills: the state ranks 13th out of 50 states in terms of average monthly spending. New Hampshire ranks 12th, with annual monthly expenses of $2,323, and Oregon ranks 14th, at $2,239.

Virginia’s household expenses, on average, are 13.4% higher than the national average of $2,046.

Absolute dollar amounts don’t tell the full story, however. The “percentage of household income” metric provides a more proportional look at bill spending in a particular location. Virginia households spend 34% of their income on house hold bills.  For comparison, the national average for percentage of income spent on bills is a similar 35%. 

Annually, Virginia residents pay $85 billion in household bills. See more data about bill pay in Virginia by clicking on the infographic link below.

Data: doxoINSIGHTS’ bill pay infographic about Virginia

• Average Bill Cost per HH: $2,321 per month
• State Bill Pay Market Size: $85 billion
• doxoINSIGHTS State Rank: 13 out of 50
• Percent of HHI Used for Bills: 34%
• Difference from the National Average: 13.4% higher

Housing bill category drives Virginia’s high monthly bill expenses

The average Virginia household pays $2,321 in the 10 most common household bills per month. Rent and mortgage expenses do not drive savings, with both being considerably higher than the national average. The average mortgage payment in Virginia is $1,768, and average rent is $1,387, compared to the national average mortgage bill of $1,321 and rent bill of $1,191.

Other than housing-related expenses, auto loans are the most significant of the 10 most common bills for residents of Virginia.  The average auto loan bill in Virginia is $465 a month which is close to the national average of $467.

Compared to the national average, cable and satellite are also a notably higher expense for residents of Virginia. The average household in the state pays $125 a month for cable and satellite, compared to the national average of $118.

Utilities, by contrast, is more affordable in Virginia. While US residents on average spend $351 per month on utilities, in Virginia they spend just $334.

Note: Health Insurance and Life Insurance expenses do not account for payments made by employers on behalf of employees. These just include out-of-pocket expenses. Also, the state and national bill totals take into account the percentage of households that pay a bill.

Average Virginia Household Bill Spending

Vienna tops the list of most expensive cities for Virginia’s household bills

Residents of Vienna pay the highest household bills in the state of Virginia, at an average of $3,780 per month. Great Falls comes second in the rankings, with residents paying $3,754 on average per month.

In proportion to household income, however, Vienna’s bills are costlier than ones in Great Falls. While Vienna’s monthly bill basket makes up 26% of average household income there, Great Falls’s bill basket accounts for just 20% of average household income in that area.

Access detailed infographics about each city or town by clicking on the hyperlinks in the “City” column in the tables below. You can also browse doxoINSIGHTS’ regional bill comparison database to see infographics about more than 4,200 cities and towns across all 50 states in the US.

10 Most Expensive Virginia Cities for Household Bills

*Household Bill Pay Expense averages shown above reflect the ten most common bills paid, including housing (rent/mortgage).

Marion is the most affordable Virginia city for household bills

Out of 91 cities and towns, Marion is the most affordable place in Virginia, with residents paying $1,266 on average for household bills. Household bills account for 40% of local income in Marion.

Bristol comes in at the second most affordable town or city in Virginia, with residents paying $1,298 per month on average.

Also on the list of 10 least expensive cities in Virginia are Martinsville ($1,331 per month), Wytheville ($1,351 per month), and Bassett ($1,375 per month).

10 Most Affordable Virginia Cities for Household Bills

Some individuals may be deciding whether to move from a more expensive city to a less expensive one. doxoINSIGHTS can be a valuable resource for consumers seeking to make key decisions like this, allowing them to compare Virginia’s household expenses against average bills in different cities and states across the country. They can also use doxoINSIGHTS’ regional bill comparison database to compare average costs for over 4000 towns and cities across the country.