Your EZ Search Guide for Moving to Virginia Beach

Are you considering a move to the seaside treasure of Virginia Beach, FL? You’re likely excited about the new life awaiting you in this coastal gem, whether you’re being posted at a Naval base nearby or just want to live in this top-ranked city. Our EZ Search moving guide aims to make moving to Virginia Beach less overwhelming. Get the highlights on the city’s important qualities, like cost of living, education, and attractions.

Virginia Beach Overview

Welcome home to one of the nation’s top 50­ cities to live. US News and World Report ranked Virginia Beach no. 30 in 2023. The seaside city in southeastern Virginia is beloved for its sun-soaked beaches and endless outdoor adventures. The famous Boardwalk stretches down three miles of golden shoreline, luring visitors and residents to experience the Atlantic Ocean’s beauty and power.

Its connection to the sea runs deep, from the Native Americans who first called it home to being the first landing site of European colonists in the Americas. The natural deep water harbors made the greater Hampton Roads area a natural choice for the maritime industry. Pirates plied its waters in the 1800s, while pilots took to the skies in the 1900s.

As a modern city, Virginia Beach’s 450,000 and counting residents live in an energetic and artsy city that has been cited for its high work-life balance, family friendliness, and seaside Boardwalk. Virginia Beach is incredibly well-rounded with advantages, from quality education for the kids, a stable and diversified job market, and many entertainment attractions. So choose your own adventure:

• Relax under the sun.

• Partake in thrilling water sports.

• Dig into delectable seafood.

• Explore historical landmarks at your leisure.

What else are some things to know before moving to Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach Cost of Living

Virginia Beach is often considered one of the more expensive places to live in the Hampton Roads region. This metro includes Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth. On a big picture look, the cost of living is generally reasonable at only 5% over the nation’s median and aligned with the Virginia state average. But when you compare it to other Hampton Roads cities, it’s apparent how its coastline real estate and hospitality industry has impacted its cost of living.

Waterfront real estate is typically more expensive than inland real estate, so it makes sense that housing costs would be higher in Virginia Beach. But when you’re moving to Virginia Beach, you can temper your housing costs to your budget as the city has plenty of lower-priced housing (and less expensive to insure) away from the coastline.

The miscellaneous costs also drive up the expenses here. Those are your entertainment tickets to attractions, movies, restaurants, and items like childcare and clothing. Transportation and utility spending was slightly under the national average.

Virginia Beach Job Market

Hospitality is a big business in Virginia Beach, but it has weathered economic ups and downs better than other tourism-based economies thanks to a diverse job market. It had an unemployment rate of 3.3% in September 2023, when the nation reported 3.9%. Even in the high of the pandemic unemployment, Virginia Beach was under the national average.

This stability is partly thanks to its numerous anchor industries, starting with defense. Seven of the ten major defense-related contractors are based in Virginia Beach, given the seven military bases in the region. One major employer is the US Navy through NAS Oceana, Joint Expeditionary Base Fort Story, and NAS Oceana Dam Neck Annex.

Virginia Beach’s deep water harbor is equally essential for civilian maritime and logistics. However, away from the waterfront, other major sectors include information technology, cybersecurity careers, and advanced manufacturing. The city is promoting offshore wind, with one of the first projects in this sector happening off its shores by 2026.

Interestingly, agriculture is its third-largest industry by economic impact, with 23,000 acres dedicated to farming.

Finally, healthcare rounds out its top employing industries, with Sentara Healthcare employing over 30,000 workers in and around Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach Education

If you have children, you’ll be happy to hear Virginia Beach ranks among the nation’s strongest public educational systems for K-12. The Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) may be large, with 86 individual campuses, but all its schools exceeded state benchmarks. A few are highly-rated national public schools. If you’d prefer an alternative education option, there are over 20 private and charter schools.

The greater Hampton Roads region houses several colleges and universities for higher education; a reason it has so many technical jobs is because it is prized for its degree and training programs. Per capita, the city has one of the highest counts of enrolled students at two- and four-year colleges. Advance your knowledge at historic institutions like the College of William and Mary, Old Dominion University, and Regent University.

Regent University and Virginia Wesleyan University have their main campuses inside Virginia Beach. Regent, a private Christian college, was ranked as the state’s best online degree program and received national honors from US News and World Report. Choose from 150 programs with flexible course study terms.

Virginia Beach Healthcare

Access to quality healthcare is a top priority for any family, and Virginia Beach doesn’t disappoint. Sentara Healthcare is one of the top employers. It operates seven state-of-the-art healthcare facilities across Hampton Roads, including Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and the Naval Medical Center. Its Norfolk hospital is nationally ranked and the third-best in Virginia.

The Hampton Roads region has eight more full-service acute care facilities outside Sentara Healthcare, including the independent pediatric Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. Together, these institutions deliver world-class and cutting-edge comprehensive medical services staffed by highly skilled professionals.

Virginia Beach Real Estate

One of the challenging parts of moving to Virginia Beach is finding a place to live. Virginia Beach’s diverse real estate market meets the needs of individuals and families of all sizes and preferences. If you want a beachfront condo, a family home in a quiet neighborhood, military-friendly housing, or a trendy downtown apartment, you’ll find a neighborhood that suits your lifestyle.

As of August 2023, 515 homes sold for a median price of $365,000. That number was down month-to-month, but $35,000 more than August 2022. The market had just under 1,000 listings in mid-October 2023, with a median list price of $360,000.

How is real estate so affordable in a waterfront city? Well, Virginia Beach is actually quite large, and much of the city borders spread well inland. Additionally, its abundant waterfront isn’t limited to the coastline. It includes branches and bays off Lynnhaven River. As it’s not on the oceanfront, it makes waterfront real estate more accessible.

Learn more about Virginia Beach real estate, including some popular neighborhoods to buy a home. When moving to Virginia Beach, we advise connecting with a local real estate agent to navigate the changing market and find the perfect home for your needs.

Getting Around Virginia Beach

A well-connected transportation system makes getting around the city and the surrounding Hampton Roads area easier. Interstate 264 is the direct east-west road from the oceanfront to Norfolk. I-64 skirts the western side for connections to the other Hampton Roads cities.

The city’s road network is efficient, and public transportation relies on buses. On the oceanfront, The Wave Trolley helps locals and visitors navigate the resort areas to reach the restaurants and attractions on Atlantic Avenue.

Additionally, Virginia Beach is bike-friendly, with 200 miles of bike lanes and trails for those who prefer two-wheeled transportation. The network is more prevalent in the visitor-friendly areas along the beach, but you can find them in the inland communities, too.

Norfolk International Airport serves the area with commercial flights for easy air travel access to domestic and international destinations.

Virginia Beach Things to Do

As mentioned earlier, you’ll never be bored living in Virginia Beach. A few highlights of its recreational treasures:

Beaches

You can’t miss the famous three-mile Atlantic coastline. As a resident, you don’t need to book a resort stay to enjoy sunbathing, surfing, swimming, or taking long walks along the sandy shores. Public access points are available up and down its Atlantic Avenue stretch. Take a break from the sea for some ice cream or fresh-caught seafood dishes from its top-ranked Boardwalk. Catch a sunrise at the pier at least once, and kickback at a summertime concert at one of the four outdoor stages.

Outdoor Adventures

Beyond the beach, Virginia Beach’s parks and nature reserves are perfect for hiking, biking, and wildlife watching. First Landing State Park and False Cape State Park are just a couple of examples and probably the most well-known. But you also have the expansive Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Princess Anne Wildlife Management Areas, where your kayak can quietly slice the estuary waters as you watch herons on the hunt for fish.

Virginia Beach has at least six public, private, and military golf courses, a yacht club, and a tennis club for more socially active pursuits.

Culture and Arts

A visit to the VIBE Creative District of the beach is a visual feast with its murals and colorfully painted boutiques. It’s just one facet of a creative city anchored by the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art and the Sandler Center for Performing Arts. This city has a symphony orchestra, a citywide public art program, and multiple live music or art exhibition venues. That’s on top of its impressive festivals, like the American Music Festival, Neptune Festival, and Fourth of July Fireworks.

Dining

Don’t forget to sample local seafood! The local delicacies include Lynnhaven River oysters, crab soup, and Rockfish caught right off the shore. The Boardwalk has the tourist brands you’d expect but also fresh fine dining with beautiful oceanfront views, outdoor patios, and adapted seaside cottages with chill vibes and excellent dishes.

Remember, farming is a top industry here. The restaurant scene benefits from easy access to seasonal and freshly picked farm produce. Find breweries using local hops and ice creameries using locally sourced dairy. Farm-to-table dining isn’t a trend, but it is the norm in these restaurants.

Historical Sites

Few places in the nation are as old as the Virginia Beach region. It’s evident in historic parks like First Landing State Park, where colonists first touched down with the intent to found a city in the New World.

But even more of the city’s rich history awaits your discovery. Spend a day at Cape Henry Lighthouse or watch the historic planes take flight at the Military Aviation Museum.

Shopping

The shopping experiences include surfside boutiques and larger shopping malls with well-known anchor chains. Town Center and Lynnhaven Mall are your more traditional retail centers. Town Center is a mixed-use center with shops, restaurants, and entertainment next to the Central Business District. Find names like Bravo Italian Kitchen and Cheesecake Factory. Lynnhaven Mall has over 120 stores, a food court, and outlying restaurants.

Find the independent and specialty chain retailers along Atlantic Avenue, where surf shops rub elbows with fashion boutiques. Other shopping clusters include The Shops at Hilltop and Vibe Creative District.

Virginia Beach Utilities

As you prepare for moving into your Virginia Beach home, get set up with your utility providers.

The City of Virginia Beach handles water, trash, and sewer service. That can be arranged through the Department of Public Utilities.

Dominion Energy is the electric provider. Contact Virginia Natural Gas for plans and services if your home has natural gas.

With one of the nation’s best fiber networks, residents have multiple communications providers for their phone, Internet, and television service. Cox and Verizon are the dominant service providers.

Things to Know About Moving to Virginia Beach

Everything you need for a comfortable lifestyle is present in Virginia Beach. Remember, this is one of the top cities in the nation to live in. It appeals to people of all ages, from young professionals to retirees, because it checks many lifestyle boxes. So come make Virginia Beach your new home by the sea! Finding your ideal home has never been easier with our EZ Search platform.