Cost of living in Portsmouth, Virginia
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,300 a month.
Portsmouth is a city in Virginia. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $60,491 a year.
- People
- 97,190
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,300
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $60,491
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $246,900
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,667
- Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC HUD Metro FMR Area
Portsmouth, Virginia has about 97,190 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $246,900.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Portsmouth city is $1,667 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Portsmouth. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area, prices sit at 97.9 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.
Virginia taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 5.8% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Portsmouth's exact store tax.
In July 2026, a typical Virginia home paid 17.55¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Portsmouth's bill.
EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Virginia in the table we use.
Among 343 places we list in Virginia with a rent figure, 186 have higher typical rent than Portsmouth.
Nearby places
- Norfolk
Typical rent $1,321
Compare with Portsmouth - Carrollton
Typical rent $1,789
Compare with Portsmouth - Chesapeake
Typical rent $1,586
Compare with Portsmouth - Hampton
Typical rent $1,427
Compare with Portsmouth - Benns ChurchCompare with Portsmouth
- Smithfield
Typical rent $1,195
Compare with Portsmouth - Bethel Manor
Typical rent $2,121
- Newport News
Typical rent $1,339
Compare with Portsmouth
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Virginia
Bigger places in Virginia
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.