Virginia rent guide
The Cheapest Cities to Rent in Virginia (June 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 717 rentals across 59 Virginia cities
Virginia is really two rental markets: the expensive Northern Virginia / DC suburbs (Arlington, Alexandria, Reston), and everywhere else, which runs far cheaper. The deep value is in Roanoke, Lynchburg, Danville and the Hampton Roads cities, with Richmond in the middle. We track every apartment we can find and rank the cities below by their typical rent, straight from live listings.
The lowest typical rent right now is in Petersburg (about $1,129/mo), while Reston sits at the top ($2,118/mo). For most renters the big decision is DC-metro vs the rest of the state; the bedroom count you need matters from there.
Virginia cities by typical rent, cheapest first
| # | City | Typical | From | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petersburg | $1,129 | $835 | 7 |
| 2 | Lynchburg | $1,215 | $899 | 11 |
| 3 | Newport News | $1,232 | $849 | 44 |
| 4 | Roanoke | $1,273 | $825 | 12 |
| 5 | Staunton | $1,300 | $889 | 9 |
| 6 | Richmond | $1,389 | $900 | 104 |
| 7 | Norfolk | $1,391 | $900 | 44 |
| 8 | Hampton | $1,396 | $895 | 19 |
| 9 | Portsmouth | $1,437 | $850 | 14 |
| 10 | Blacksburg | $1,485 | $988 | 7 |
| 11 | Suffolk | $1,548 | $1,175 | 12 |
| 12 | Winchester | $1,550 | $1,172 | 11 |
| 13 | Glen Allen | $1,574 | $1,216 | 14 |
| 14 | Virginia Beach | $1,578 | $1,000 | 47 |
| 15 | Midlothian | $1,604 | $1,453 | 16 |
| 16 | Manassas | $1,660 | $949 | 7 |
| 17 | Falls Church | $1,683 | $1,129 | 18 |
| 18 | Chesapeake | $1,686 | $1,261 | 17 |
| 19 | Charlottesville | $1,729 | $920 | 16 |
| 20 | Fredericksburg | $1,745 | $1,350 | 11 |
| 21 | Woodbridge | $1,769 | $1,424 | 27 |
| 22 | Alexandria | $1,846 | $900 | 65 |
| 23 | Fairfax | $1,890 | $1,295 | 20 |
| 24 | Herndon | $1,960 | $1,626 | 13 |
| 25 | Arlington | $1,975 | $1,175 | 64 |
| 26 | Ashburn | $2,014 | $1,550 | 10 |
| 27 | Vienna | $2,099 | $1,784 | 5 |
| 28 | Reston | $2,118 | $1,199 | 14 |
How we rank them
“Typical” is the median rent across everything we track in a city, so half the listings are cheaper and half pricier. “From” is the single cheapest unit listed right now. We include cities with at least five live listings and exclude single rooms and senior housing. Small-city medians can swing on a handful of listings, so the bigger markets like Virginia Beach, Richmond and Norfolk are the most stable. Refreshes when our data does (last updated Jun 9, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest city to rent in Virginia?
By typical (median) rent it's Petersburg, around $1,129/mo, then Lynchburg and Newport News. The best value is in the western and southern markets (Roanoke, Lynchburg, Danville) and parts of Hampton Roads, well away from the DC suburbs. The ranking rebuilds from live listings, so it moves with the market.
Why is Northern Virginia so much more expensive?
Northern Virginia (Arlington ~$1,975/mo) is the DC metro, where federal and tech salaries push rents far above the rest of the state. Richmond runs about $1,389, and the western/southern cities are cheaper still. If you can work outside the DC orbit, your rent drops sharply.
Where is rent most expensive in Virginia?
Reston tops the list at about $2,118/mo, which tracks: the priciest rents are the close-in DC suburbs (Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Reston). The Richmond, Roanoke and Hampton Roads markets are far cheaper.
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