?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Lynchburg, VA vs Roanoke, VA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Lynchburg needs about $84,000 in Roanoke to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Roanoke, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $86,000 in Lynchburg.

A few differences

Lynchburg vs Roanoke · facet by facet
FacetLynchburg, VARoanoke, VA
Median home price$229,800$190,500
2-bedroom rent$1,028/mo$967/mo
Property tax rate0.87%0.87%
State & local income tax4.36%4.36%
Sales tax5.75%5.75%
Cost of living index8784
Groceries index100100
Utilities$175/mo$175/mo
Median household income$57,947$55,378
Unemployment rate2.9%2.9%
Crime index32/10032/100
School rating6.8/106.8/10
Sunny days / year210 days210 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Lynchburg, VA · Roanoke, VA
Questions & answers
Is Lynchburg cheaper than Roanoke?
Roanoke has the lower day-to-day cost index (84 vs 87 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Roanoke equals $85,000 in Lynchburg?
A household earning $85,000 in Lynchburg needs about $84,000 in Roanoke to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Roanoke lifestyle costs about $86,000 in Lynchburg.