Cost of living in Salem, Virginia

Salem, Virginia has about 25,618 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.

A typical home is worth about $258,600.

HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Salem city is $1,464 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Salem. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.

In the Roanoke, VA metro area, prices sit at 93.6 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 Salem'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 Salem's bill.

EIA does not publish a Virginia gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) all-grades price was $4.035 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,936.80 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in Virginia shares this price.

Among 343 places we list in Virginia with a rent figure, 212 have higher typical rent than Salem.