Cost Of Living in Emporia, VA

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A+

9%

Overall NAT. AVG.

0%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

30%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Emporia	Virginia	National
Cost of living	91	109	100
Goods & Services	100	100	100
Groceries	101	101	100
Health care	96	99	100
Housing	70	130	100
Transportation	100	95	100
Utilities	105	104	100

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Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Emporia is 16% lower than the Virginia average
The cost of living in Emporia is 9% lower than the national average
Emporia housing is 30% lower than the national average
Virginia general sales tax is 4% higher than the national average
Virginia state income tax is 23% lower than the national average

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$52,833	$4,403	$1,233	$1,585
Renters	$24,104	$2,009	$562	$723

The percent of monthly income spent on housing can be a good indicator of the affordability of housing in Emporia, VA, as well as the overall cost of living. As a general rule of thumb, the debt-to-income ratio (DTI) for homeowners or renters should be not more than 28 percent of gross income to be spent on housing related costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses, including debts. The median income for Emporia homeowners, is $52,833. This would allow for a maximum of $1,233 per month to be spent on housing costs. For renters, the median monthly income is $24,104 which would result in a maximum of $562 to be spent on rental costs.

Virginia Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Virginia	5.3%	6%

Virginia Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Virginia	2%	5.75%

Goods & Services

Item	Emporia	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$20.00	$24.26	17.6%
Beauty Salon	$54.17	$45.56	18.9%
Toothpaste	$3.72	$3.70	0.5%
Shampoo	$1.26	$1.28	1.3%
Movie	$13.31	$12.13	9.7%
Bowling	$24.17	$18.00	34.3%

Groceries

Item	Emporia	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.54	$5.84	5.2%
Fried Chicken	$1.44	$1.57	8.5%
Milk	$4.63	$4.67	1.0%
Potatoes	$5.27	$4.93	6.8%
Pizza	$12.72	$12.09	5.3%
Beer	$10.64	$10.41	2.2%

Health Care

Item	Emporia	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$95.44	$125.68	24.1%
Doctor	$122.83	$135.78	9.5%
Dentist	$109.67	$113.29	3.2%
Ibuprofen	$10.76	$10.65	1.0%
Lipitor	$489.65	$468.60	4.5%

Housing

Item	Emporia	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$121,600.00	$184,700.00	34.2%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,083.79	$2,346.69	11.2%
Apartment Rent	$756.00	$949.00	20.3%

Transportation

Item	Emporia	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.27	$3.46	5.5%
Tire Balancing	$60.00	$59.92	0.1%

Utilities

Item	Emporia	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$227.22	$193.99	17.1%
Phone	$185.33	$192.25	3.6%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Seaboard, NC	743	85	15.2%
Gaston, NC	1,290	87	12.8%
Jarratt, VA	866	94	6.0%
Emporia, VA	5,408	91	8.6%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Brush, CO	5,408	99	1.0%
Wind Lake, WI	5,407	111	10.5%
Zephyrhills West, FL	5,409	84	16.3%
Terrell Hills, TX	5,409	172	71.8%
Holdrege, NE	5,406	84	15.5%
Emporia, VA	5,408	91	8.6%